Anticipatory Anxiety

“Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered.

No one was there.”

 
Recently, the Chapman University Survey of American Fears (CSAF) conducted their annual survey of the top 10 fears in America. They do this by following trends over time and identifying new fears that might emerge.
  Among the top ten fears Americans currently have: Corrupt government officials; Economic/financial collapse; Russia using nuclear weapons; US involved in another World War; Biological warfare and Cyber-terrorism.
  Let me ask what I hope is a thought-provoking question: How many do we have any control over? Zero, nil, diddly-squat, zippo…you get the point. If 99.99% of us have zero control over these things, why are we afraid of them or what purpose is there in us worrying about any of them?
  Many people, including sadly many Christians, suffer from what’s known as Anticipatory Anxiety. That’s simply a “fear of the future.” Some tragic consequences of anticipatory anxiety are that victims are nervous and fearful about the future. Often, they spend time mentally dwelling on worst-case scenarios regarding future situations. Instead of dreading a terrible potential future with a low potential at that, God wants us to live where that missionary statesman, William Carey lived. Carey wisely said: “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”
  For the believer, the future isn’t dark, it’s brilliantly bright because our Heavenly Father has it all under control. What does the future hold for the believer? Let me point out five promises just from the book of Philippians.
  Future Perfection. The last part of Philippians 1:6, says, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” When someone is born again, they can’t be satisfied with spiritual mediocrity. They long to be sinless and ultimately be sin-free just like Jesus. Those of us who are “in Christ,” will, one day achieve our dream.  No more struggles, no more defeat, no more shame: perfection.  What a joy it will be to be “finished,” completed, perfect!
  Future Joy. Philippians 1:18 says, “…Christ is preached. And because of this, I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” Every believer longs for joy. If you’re a Christ-follower, you can be absolutely confident today that you will do lots of rejoicing tomorrow, both on this side of the grave and on the other side of death. Paul was primarily thinking in terms of rejoicing on this side of the grave. His confidence in future joy gave him present joy. Paul and we can have hope based on the promise of our Father.
  Future Deliverance. Philippians 1:19 says “for I know that through your prayers, and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” Whether we live or die, God has promised to deliver us. Either way, we win! No more disease or pain, no suffering, no more losses or tragedies, no more hatred or conflict.
  Future Grace. Philippians 1:20 says, “I eagerly expect and hope, that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” This wasn’t self-confidence. It’s holy boldness. Paul knew that God would give him all the grace that he needed to face anything and everything victoriously, and in that God would be honored by Paul’s life.
  Future Gain. Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” That’s to be our passion and goal now, “to live is Christ.” Yet, it doesn’t end there, “to die is gain.” For someone who hasn’t committed their life to Christ, to die is to lose everything.  No wonder so many will do nearly anything to hold off death. Yet, Christians have no reason to be desperate.  As much as we enjoy the things of this life, our deaths will bring gain, not loss – rest, joy, peace, comfort, satisfaction, perfect fellowship, and so much more. Seeing Jesus face to face will make every other gain seem small by comparison. Because our future is certain because of God’s promises, every believer should have Anticipatory Excitement!
  Which one do you have? Anticipatory Anxiety or Anticipatory Excitement? Anticipatory Excitement comes from focusing on God’s truth!
  In national parks, there are signs, “Please Don’t Feed the Bears.” When people feed the bears, those bears gain confidence and lose their fear of humans. They become dangerous as they become more aggressive. Many of us need to cross out the “B” and place an “F” there. The sign we need over our hearts is, “Please Don’t Feed the Fears.” As we feed our fears, they eat us alive. How can we feed our faith and not our fears?
  Habitually read God’s Word. Feed your heart on God’s promises.
  Go on a media and social media diet. Stop feeding the monster. The majority of what’s on there won’t help you trust God or grow in faith.
  Become more aware of your thoughts. Have you ever caught yourself just eating mindlessly? We do the same mentally. As the refrigerator has a light that goes on when we open it, we need a light to go off when we begin to head down dead-end dark mental streets.
  Fight imaginary fears with the truth of praise. In the midst of fearful circumstances, the psalmist continually praises God. Count your blessings and then count them again and again. There’s power in praise! By choosing to praise God for what you know is true of God’s character, you overcome your fears with His truth. Rather than following your heart, lead it.
  Remember what God has done, not what might happen. Remember God’s goodness in the past in your life. The conscious act of remembering His past faithfulness deepens our trust in His present goodness. Spurgeon wrote: “It is well to mark our mercies with well-carved memorials.” God commands us to remember His works. Why? He knows we’re so forgetful. Remembering what He has done strengthens our faith to fight fear.  
  Fight imaginary fears with an eternal perspective. Fixing our thoughts on the eternal keeps our perspective of the present balanced. It gives us clarity as to why we’re here and that this life, even at its worst, is temporary. Focusing on eternity inspires us to live lives of significance.
  As our trust in God’s truth deepens, we experience grace and power. Jesus is real. Let’s fill our minds with Him and His promises. And we’ll have no need to fear the future because He’s already there…waiting for us!

Can we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

Have YOU been nuked?

 

“You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust the sails.” 

  Many of the high costs of the pandemic and political chaos aren’t physical, they’re emotional and spiritual. No one, no age group, economic segment, gender, or religious faction has been immune from the stress and emotional angst taking place today. Often, when we encounter volatile reactions and responses, we wrongly assume that we’re the cause – that it’s us, that we caused it or it has something to do with us. It often doesn’t. A great temptation is to “fight fire with fire” which is another poor choice. 

  A vast majority of the problems in your circle of life – work, neighborhood, community, even family – have nothing to do with you. The anger, complaints, and griping that you face often have little to do with you. Yes, people are very upset, but if you drill a little deeper, you may discover that there are other factors at work. They’re struggling at work, or in their marriage or other relationships. They’re under tremendous stress or battling addiction or just really down on themselves. Add the health crisis and people are struggling deeply with stress, unlike anything most have ever encountered. No wonder they’re on edge. Under that kind of stress when people feel their lives and world are out of control, the anger will often come out somewhere. Personal encounters are an easy target.

  In the same way, that road rage is rarely about what happens on the road, being nuked is often not about what’s happening in the moment. The guy who barely cut you off just bore the full weight of your unresolved issues in that moment. While it doesn’t make the anger go away, it can help us empathize more and take it a lot less personally. 

  In general people are more anxious, depressed, and traumatized than at any point in recent history. Study after study has found that people are experiencing more mental and emotional health issues than before the pandemic. Up to half show serious signs of depression. A large percentage struggle with anxiety. Many meet the criteria for clinical mental health problems: depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This fuels poor sleep patterns, creating a vicious cycle. Sleeplessness accelerates mental health issues.  

  Loneliness and isolation contribute to raw emotions. Stay-at-home orders, remote work, the roller coaster of virtual or in-person learning, along with social distancing have left many feeling very isolated. Nearly 1 in 7 adults said that they were often lonely during the past year. Those who are younger or who live alone, or who have a chronic health condition, are lonelier than other groups. One study found that almost two-thirds of those under 30 had high levels of loneliness.

  Christians are not immune from any of these issues BUT…All of us have struggled with these varied emotions during the past year. I know I have. Yet, we have something that those who don’t know the Lord don’t have – hope. Our hope isn’t from science or government. Our hope is in our sovereign God! Our hope is in King Jesus!

  As we study Scripture, we find example after example of individuals and groups who went through much worse struggles than we’re currently experiencing. Peruse Hebrews 11 for a testament of this. In 2 Corinthians 6, the Apostle Paul unpacks his many trials and suffering, yet he shares hope and gives us the solution given to him by the Lord, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Our Heavenly Father is not surprised by any of this and He is in complete control of it all, even when it appears everything is out of control.

  We must not surrender to fear. Some form of the phrase “fear not” occurs well over a hundred times in the Bible. Fear is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7). And ultimately, what do we have to fear. The worst that can happen to a believer is that they die, but we know that when we close our eyes in this life, we open them in glory and eternity!

  We must be cautious with anger. Anger is like dynamite. It can be useful and has an appropriate place, yet it must be handled with caution because it can have disastrous results when it’s not. Ephesians 4:26-27 warns us: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Yet there are Christians living in a constant state of rage. Listen to them talk. Watch their posts on social media. They’re in a very dangerous place and they are not pleasing God.

  God’s Word never says, “blessed are the angry.” It does say, “Blessed are the meek…Blessed are the merciful…Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:5-9). The reason many lack God’s blessing on their lives is that they’re living in a sinful, emotional state where God can’t bless them.

  By God’s grace we must persevere. God did not promise us an easy life. Our lives are certainly better when we come to Christ, that though does not mean life will be easy. In fact, in some ways, it could be even more difficult. We now have a vicious Enemy. Our worldview doesn’t line up with the temporal one of this age and that brings conflict.

  When you commit yourself to Christ, it’s a lifetime commitment, regardless of whatever trials or persecution you face along the way. As a Christian, you’re called to set your face forward and towards the goal. What will get us through all of this is that we know that we are not alone and we know that we have our Father’s infinite source of strength and power available to us. Even the very worst of this life is temporary.

  Why try? Why persevere? I love the answer to that question given by the great painter, Renoir. In old age, this great French painter suffered from arthritis, which twisted and cramped his hand. Henri Matise, his artist friend, watched sadly while Renoir, grasping a brush with only his fingertips, continued to paint, even though each movement caused stabbing pain. Matise asked Renoir why he persisted in painting at the expense of such torture. Renoir replied, “The pain passes, but the beauty remains.”

  Why must we keep on pushing ahead in our commitment to the Kingdom of God, why must we seek to be Christlike even when it costs us dearly? Because “the pain passes, but the beauty remains” and it remains forever!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

WHO'S YOUR ONE?

 

“We think of missionaries as God's ‘super servants,’ Jesus’ Navy Seals. The word ‘missionary’ is never used in the Bible, however, not even once. That's because all of God's people are sent; all of God's people are commanded to go. There is no ‘special class’ of sent ones.”  J.D. Greear 

  What freaks you out? We all freak out over one thing or another, sometimes for understandable reasons—if you’re alone when a zombie apocalypse breaks out, by all means, freak out—or sometimes we freak out for really silly reasons. 

  The media seems determined to freak us out. We have 24-hour news channels that by their very nature focus on the latest tragedy or extreme news story, replaying it over and over and over…

  Social media isn’t far behind. We will see things on social media from the hilarious to the terrifying, pushing us ever closer to the freak-out zone.

  A snake will do that for some. It does it for me. So I was on the edge of my seat when I heard the recent story about one Georgia woman.

  Trish Wilcher thought she saw a “piece of fuzz” on the floor under the bed in her home in Augusta, but when she reached for it, it suspiciously moved. “And then a second later another piece moved, and I went to my husband, ‘We have snakes!’” In fact, they had 18 snakes.

  “Ok we have turned the bedroom upside down…found 17 babies and the momma,” she posted on Facebook amid the slithery ordeal. Her husband, Max Wilcher, was able to use a grabbing tool to contain the snakes in a linen bag. He released them outside near a creek, she told WJBF. A wildlife catcher later told the couple that the reptiles in their home were non-venomous garter snakes.

  Well, that’s a sssscare that would freak me out. Who wouldn’t freak out if they came face to face with a large snake family under the bed?

  Most of us don’t like to be freaked out like that. Sure, some of us occasionally like to be freaked out, like teens watching a horror movie.

  I’m not sure what freaks you out. But if you’re a follower of Jesus and want to be freaked out, picture walking up to someone to boldly tell him or her about Jesus. You know, like talking to your church-hating coworker, atheist family member, or that neighbor (the one who freaks you out). No wonder Christians are freaked out at even the thought of sharing their faith.  

  But doing that is a bit of an ambush or at least a shocking surprise, similar to finding snakes underneath your bed. It’s not though what God has called us to do. Sharing the gospel isn’t to be some type of sneak attack.

  Somehow in the Church we’ve created a version of Christianity that makes us freak out over sharing the best news in the history of the universe. Think about it. Why would we be so apprehensive, anxious, tongue-tied and introverted when talking about the very thing that Jesus came to do for us? How can we sing so joyfully about the gospel in a church worship service but then be just as tightlipped about Jesus in our workplace or neighborhood? If Jesus means so much to us, why do we so rarely talk about Him?

  How can we be so quick to speak about a million other things that are often little more than trivia, yet can’t seem to talk about the message that set us free and bought us eternal forgiveness? How can we learn to share Jesus and the gospel by how we live and what we say without freaking out?

  Think about anything and everything that you’ve talked to your neighbors and coworkers about in the last six months. Yet, studies show that something like 70% of believers have not told a soul about Christ in the previous six months. More troubling is a LifeWay study with the discovery that out of eight attributes of growing believers, sharing Jesus ranked at the bottom. Why is evangelism ranked so low?

  Jesus’ last command to us, as His followers, was to share the gospel. Today we’re starting a new series, Who’s Your One? Sadly, we’ve made sharing the gospel something that it’s not. It’s not public speaking, which is one of most adults’ greatest fears (probably higher than a fear of snakes). It’s not some aggressive, ambush plan for type A folk. It’s not a program or some memorized sales pitch where you have to get all of the information just right (I don’t know how many Christians over the years have told me that they shared the gospel with someone but hope they didn’t blow it).

  We’re not going to try to make you the next Billy Graham or Apostle Paul. God has made you you and simply wants you to share His story your way with your personality and relationships just as He has the host of believers in the New Testament and throughout history who have shared the gospel around the world. Some of God’s greatest work of sharing His message hasn’t been done by professionals or preachers or missionaries. It’s been done by people like those described by Michael Green in his book, Evangelism in the Early Church: “In contrast to the present day, when Christianity is a highly intellectualized and dispensed by professional clergy to a constituency increasingly confined to the middle class, in the early days the faith was spontaneously spread by informal evangelists, and had its greatest appeal among the working class.”

  Our world today is freaked out over nearly everything. Maybe it’s time for Christians to freak out a little, yet only about things that truly matter.

  God has placed our church in this community to be a rescue station with His life-changing message of the gospel. God has placed you and me in our families, neighborhoods, and workplaces to be a light for His glory and to share His message of true hope, love, grace, and forgiveness. That won’t happen unless Christians get back on mission.

  When you trusted Christ as your personal Savior, God made you part of His missions team and strategy. You and I are part of something that is making a difference in eternity.

  This is going to be an exciting and challenging series. Please come prayerfully. Please commit to joining us each Sunday as we work through Who’s Your One?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Baptism

 

“Baptism does not save a person, but Jesus means for His saved individuals to publicly identify with Him and His people. It’s one piece of how His citizens become official. It’s how they wave the flag."               Jonathan Leeman

   Noted author, Max Lucado wrote: “The human mind explaining baptism is like a harmonica interpreting Beethoven: the music is too majestic for the instrument. No scholar or saint can fully appreciate what this moment means in heaven. Any words on baptism, including these, must be seen as human efforts to understand a holy event. Our danger is to swing to one of two extremes: we make baptism either too important or too unimportant. Either we deify it or we trivialize it. One can see baptism as the essence of the gospel or as irrelevant to the gospel. Both sides are equally perilous.   For example, one person says, ‘I am saved because I was baptized.’ The other says, ‘I am saved so I don’t need to be baptized.’ The challenge is to let the pendulum stop somewhere between the two viewpoints. This is done by placing it where it should be: at the foot of the cross. 

  Baptism is like a precious jewel—set apart by itself, it is nice and appealing but has nothing within it to compel. But place baptism against the backdrop of our sin and turn on the light of the cross, and the jewel explodes with significance. Baptism at once reveals the beauty of the cross and the darkness of sin. As a stone has many facets, baptism has many sides: cleansing, burial, resurrection, the death of the old, and the birth of the new. Just as the stone has no light within it, baptism has no inherent power. But just as the stone refracts the light into many colors, so baptism reveals the many facets of God’s grace.”

  Once a person admits his/her sin and turns to Christ for salvation, Jesus commanded that the step of baptism must be taken to proclaim to heaven and earth that they are now a Christ-follower. Baptism is the initial, immediate step of obedience by one who has declared his/her faith. So important was this step of obedience that as far as we know, every single convert in the New Testament was baptized. With the exception of the thief on the cross, there’s no example of an unbaptized believer.

  That’s why this is such an exciting day at Grace! We have four adults who have professed their faith in Christ and now want to obey the Lord by believer’s immersion. What a joy to hear their testimonies and how God has worked and brought about new life in Christ in their lives.

  Like a wedding ring doesn’t make one married, so baptism will never get anyone into heaven. We are not baptized into eternal life. We are baptized because we have eternal life. We are baptized as a symbol that we have new life in Christ. It’s a matter of obedience. And since the time of Christ, believers have participated in baptism by immersion, sometimes with great fanfare and exuberance, and sometimes with solemnity and reverence. Regardless of style, though, the visual and emotional appeal of this confessional act is at the very heart of who we are as Christ-followers.

  Baptism as an act of obedience. Some of the last words Jesus spoke to His disciples were the threefold instruction: to make disciples, baptize those who believe, and teach them all of His commands (Matt. 28:19-20). If for no other reason, we baptize because Jesus told us to. Obedience is to characterize followers of Christ. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus said we should teach new believers “to observe everything I have commanded you.” Baptism is simply an act of obedience both for the new believer and the local church. We baptize to please God and be obedient.

  Baptism as an opportunity to witness. The New Testament and Christian History indicate that baptism served as the initial profession of faith for early believers. After Philip shared the gospel with the Ethiopian, the new believer’s first request was to be baptized (Acts 8). When the Philippian jailer responded to the preaching of Paul and Silas, he and believing members of his family were baptized (Acts 16). The same is true for Lydia (Acts16), Cornelius (Acts 10), the Corinthians (Acts 18), and others. For these believers, baptism was a silent witness, an outward expression, of their new faith and new way of life in Christ.

  So how is baptism a witnessing opportunity for us? According to Romans 6:1-4, our baptism is a witness to the saving work of Christ - His death, burial, and resurrection. As a symbol, baptism visually reenacts His burial in the grave and His resurrection to life. That’s the picture in immersion.

  When we see a new believer walk into the water, go under the water and come up from the water, we are seeing what Jesus did to save us. Baptism symbolizes that as Christ died, was buried, and rose again, so the believer has died, is buried to self, and now has new life in Christ. 

  Baptism symbolizes that he/she is a new creature in Christ. As believers adopt a Christlike character, the change becomes evident to those with whom they associate. It symbolizes that change in the new believer. And it’s a public witness to believers and nonbelievers. Like a wedding, it’s a public confession that this individual is now a Christ-follower.

  Why won’t some believers be baptized? Usually, there are two reasons – humiliation or fear. Though baptism is exciting, it’s not pretty. One goes down into the water dry and comes up a soaking mess. It’s humbling. You’re not in control but trusting the one immersing you in the water.

  That leads to the second reason. Some individuals are terrified of water. Yet, if God can miraculously save your sinful soul, He can protect you from a little water. That’s why the baptism of Les Vincent today is so moving. Les has some heart issues. Baptism carries some risk for him, yet Les is more committed to being obedient to God’s Word than to being safe.

  The early church took seriously the concept of church membership who was born again. Acts 2:47 tells us that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” The first church was made up of those who’d been saved and were then baptized. In spite of some obvious cultural and social differences between the 1st-century church and today's church, the requirement for congregational inclusion must still be believer's baptism. At baptism the new believer is making a commitment not only to Christ but to a local church family. He or she is identifying publicly with a specific congregation.

  The church body at this point also is assuming responsibility for the new believer. There’s a new member in their family. Being part of that local church means the congregation has a responsibility to include the new Christ follower, to encourage him or her in their spiritual walk, and to support the new believer as a brother or sister and as a friend.

  Everyone who is part of the fellowship of a local church should have experienced personal salvation and believer’s immersion. Similar to a wedding ceremony, baptism is a holy moment both for the person being baptized and for that local church family they are being baptized into.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

Erasing Fear

 

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.”                                                   Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Back in the wild West, a stranger stands at a saloon bar. Suddenly a cowboy runs in screaming, “Hey, everybody, Big Bad John is coming to town.” Several others exclaim: “Big Bad John is the meanest, toughest, biggest outlaw in the West. Let’s run for it.” Everyone heads for the door except the stranger and the bartender. The bartender says, “Are you deaf, Mister? Big Bad John is coming!” The stranger replies, “I don’t know who he is, but he can’t be all that big and bad. I’m not afraid.” So the stranger and the bartender wait. Soon the saloon doors fly open and off their hinges, and a mountain of a man stomps through the door. Covered with scars and sporting a scowl, he demands a drink. The bartender meekly complies. The stranger nervously thinks to himself, “Now I wish I’d run away; this guy is the biggest, meanest-looking outlaw I’ve ever seen.” The outlaw downs the drink in one gulp, slams it the glass down on the bar, then turns and looks the stranger coldly in the eye to announce, “I don’t know about you, stranger, but I’m gettin’ outta here. I don’t wanna be here when Big Bad John comes in!”

Fear is a strong and complicated emotion. It can cause us to react and overreact. It can cause us to do things, say things, and feel things quickly and powerfully. It doesn’t go away quickly, sometimes for good reason. Fear is complicated because we’re not all afraid of the same things. Sometimes we’re not even sure why we’re afraid. At other times, our bodies and minds respond with fear for a variety of reasons. Fear is universal. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man…”

Alasdair Groves and Winston Smith, in their book Untangling Emotions, explain that it’s insightful how many different English words we have for fear. Words like uneasy, worried, nervous, anxious, tense, uptight, spooked, haunted, scared, afraid, panicked, terrified, and petrified occupy slightly different points on the spectrum, yet all express some version of the same core experience… Fear is everywhere and everyone deals with it.  There’s not a single person who doesn’t deal with fear in some way. We must compassionately acknowledge that fear is complex and recognize that strategies for dealing with fear are also complex.

Today we’re beginning a new sermon series: Fear: The Invisible Enemy. During this series, we’ll be looking at the broad spectrum of fear. One message might be the one that you need and be life-changing for you. For others, this series might be one piece of a really big puzzle that you’re putting together. Because of the power of God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, I believe that all of us will find this series helpful.

Anxiety and fear show up in surprising ways. Sometimes we don’t even know why we’re anxious. Sometimes we find ourselves going to bed feeling anxious. Other times, when we wake up we feel anxious, but nothing has happened. There are times when anxiety can be debilitating.

All of know what that’s like. For some fear is a much larger problem. Worry and fear aren’t just around the corner; they’re the clothes you wear every day, and maybe for good reason. Perhaps something traumatic happened to you, and now you find yourself being self-protective and hyper-vigilant. Others simply have a disposition—a family background, personality, physical make-up, body chemistry— that inclines them toward anxiety. And, for some, it’s not just a struggle; it’s nearly your identity. You don’t just struggle with worry; you’re a worrier.

My prayer is that this study will be used by our loving Heavenly Father to help each of us. Fear is a true enemy. And while worry, fear, and anxiety were a huge struggle before COVID-19, they’re enormous struggles now.

While fear is the invisible enemy, faith in the invisible Presence is the cure. Our Heavenly Father has promised us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

The prescription for fear is the promises of God. Just this one promise, “I am always with you” means that we’re never alone, never abandoned, never deserted. God is always with us. This promise is listed as the reason that God’s people are commanded not to fear. Our Heavenly Father’s promised presence is the reason we are told not to fear.

Consider each of these words: I. Am. With. You. The sovereign God, who is orchestrating all the events of life, walks with His people through their sorrows. Isolation, abandonment, and being alone are contrary to the very nature of our humanity. How many of you remember a moment in your childhood where you were lost and you thought you were all alone? Or how many of you know the sick feeling of people not standing up for you?

Satan loves to tempt us into believing that God has abandoned us. But the Bible tells us that, while we can’t see God and while we don’t always know what He’s doing, we can rest our souls and bank our lives on the fact that He’s always with us.

Often it’s a struggle to trust His promises. Someone has referred to it as a “promise battle.” Worry and fear are a battle, but the first step in winning that battle is rehearsing over and over again who’s ultimately in control.

In this series, we’ll explore the most common worries and fears that we experience, consider practical steps for overcoming these fears, and reflect upon fear in the light of God’s Word and a faith that promises again and again that we don’t need to live in fear. We want to experience the power of God to overcome our fears and live in peace with courage and hope.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water

“Fear that does not take you to God will take you away from God.”

This summer is the 45^th Anniversary of the original release of Jaws which was released on June 20, 1975. Long before Jaws, I was terrified of sharks. Each year our family vacationed in Florida. I remember seeing sharks caught by fishermen. It left a powerful memory in my mind.

  Jaws birthed “shark-phobia” for many. The summer of its release tourism was hurt on beaches, particularly in New England where Peter Benchley’s fictional story takes place.

  Just the soundtrack from Jaws can send chills up your spine. Steven Spielberg originally thought composer John Williams was joking when he played the score for him. Yet, later the director would credit the theme – which won an Academy Award –for being “responsible for half of the success of [the] movie.”

  How powerful is the legacy of Jaws? It’s certainly responsible for generations of nervous beachgoers eyeing the black depths of the water with fear of what monsters lurk below. It’s so powerful that it even made phobia experts — the people whose job it is to talk people down from their irrational fears — afraid to take a dip in the ocean.

  The problem, however, is that the fear is entirely disproportionate to the reality. The chances of dying in a shark attack are just one in 3.7 million, according to National Geographic. The real dangers of the world are gas-powered. You have a 1 in 112 chance of dying in a car accident in your lifetime. The frenzy over shark fears got so bad that the author, Peter Benchley, later regretted depicting sharks as killing machines.  

  Fear. We don’t usually like to think about fear or talk about fear, but fear actually determines and drives much of what we do or don’t do. Stories of things to fear are all around us. If you scroll through your social media feeds, turn on the actual news, or even walk through the checkout line at the grocery store, you’re confronted with bad news: wars and threatened wars. Viruses. Murder. Injustice. Grief. In normal circumstances, these things were already all around us. Now, in the midst of a pandemic, bad news is our near-constant “friend,” and with it a chronic sense of anxiety.

  Fear is a formula for failure. Fear is not from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind” (Phillips). How many lost the joy of a fun-filled summer vacation because of Jaws?

  Fear leads to skepticism. When we’re afraid, we begin to doubt. We doubt ourselves, doubt other people, and we doubt God and His Word. We become skeptical. Cynics, at the root, basically have a problem with fear. We often ridicule and question when at heart, we’re merely afraid.

  Fear leads to selfishness. When someone is afraid, do they use plural pronouns or singular ones? When I’m afraid, my focus is focused on myself. I don’t think about others. I don’t think about anybody else, I'm just focusing in on me…and I certainly don’t think about God.

  Fear leads to stubbornness. We resist change when we’re afraid. The known is “safe,” even if it’s destructive or the status quo. Our boat may be sinking but it’s our boat, so please don’t rock it. As a result, fear stunts our growth. It keeps businesses from growing. It keeps churches from growing and it keeps us from growing spiritually on an individual level.  

  Fear leads to shortsightedness. When you’re absorbed with what you’re presently afraid of, you have difficulty seeing the future. Instead of having a vision for tomorrow, you’re absorbed with just surviving today.

  Too many believers are satisfied being stuck where it feels safe than take a risk. They’re so afraid to let go of fear and trust God, that they really don’t know what else to do. Some have lived in fear for so long that living in fear has become their normal. They don’t even consider moving forward and stepping out in faith.  

  You can be fear-free! When Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, you have a reason for confidence. Your Savior is the Lord! Since Jesus Christ is Lord, that means that He is sovereign over your birth, He is sovereign over your life, and He will be sovereign over your death.

  Jesus Christ is Lord over your birth. That simply means that of all the millions of people who could potentially have come from the union of your father and your mother, God created you! In great love and mercy, God planned who you would be, where you’d live, and even your entire eternity!

  Jesus Christ is Lord over your life. That means that everything that has happened to you, the good you’ve enjoyed even the evil you’ve suffered, was known to God before the beginning of time. It means that your future is known and planned by your Heavenly Father. While life is full of surprises for us, unexpected twists and turns, nothing ever comes as a surprise to God. Wonderfully, that means that God works through all that has happened in your past and whatever will happen in your future.

  Jesus Christ is Lord over your death. That simply means that Jesus Christ is in complete control of the timing, the circumstances, and the outcome of your death, which for a Christian believer, whenever it comes, will be an immediate translation into the glory of heaven. 

  The famed early American preacher, George Whitfield said, “We are immortal till our life’s work is done.” Please use that truth when you struggle with fear.  Even if you’re afraid of going into the water, as you dip your toes in the water, it’s a wonderful biblical reminder, “I am immortal till my life’s work is done.”

  Whatever happens, you don’t need to be afraid, even if you hear the Jaws theme in the background. Your Heavenly Father loves you and He’s got this…all of it! Will you though choose to trust Him? Will you leave your fears and choose to rest in the promises of His Word? Will you let His peace flood your soul?  It’s time for God’s people to be free and exchange fear for faith. Will you?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Pass the Grace, Please

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. 

It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.”   Paul Coelho

  In early April, William Zordani and his large family took their Golden Retriever, Sunshine, for a walk near their home in their leafy suburb north of Chicago, they waited out the coronavirus shutdown. That evening, a woman who lives a few blocks away posted a photo of Mr. Zordani, his mother and five of his six siblings on their walk to the town’s Facebook news site, lambasting them for ignoring social-distancing rules and endangering the community.

  “Why are people so stupid,” one commenter wrote in the screed that followed. Another chimed in: “Where are parents?” A third indicated she had forwarded the photo to the mayor. The shunning and shaming of Mr. Zordani and his family is happening across the country, but it is felt most acutely in smaller cities and towns where anonymity is rare and people still hope to avoid the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. These virus vigilantes reflect the social strains on communities as the shutdown isolates neighbors and raises suspicion and fear.

  Two noxious social weeds have gone viral in the midst of our pandemic. They’re polar opposite overreactions: Corona-shaming and Corona-rage. It’s very ironic that in a culture whose watchword is “tolerance,” has now become so intolerant and judgmental. Over the top accusations like, “you’re killing grandma” or “you’re killing small businesses,” do little more than add more fuel to already inflamed emotions. Add to that, since many of us surround ourselves with those who agree with our worldview because we’ve not learned the value of dissonance, there is little dialogue and critical thinking, just lots of out of control feelings.  

  The Bible is clear on moral absolutes: stealing, lying, adultery, etc. Those are wrong, always have been wrong, and always will be wrong. Yet, how to morally respond to a Pandemic is, in spite of what many say (or post,) very unclear. It’s unchartered territory for us individually, for our communities and for our governments. It seems to me that one’s response is primarily colored by their emotional temperament and political persuasion. Not exactly a sound basis for evaluating the decisions and choices of others. 

  For believers, who are to be Spirit-controlled and who’s plumb-line must be God’s Word, it’s a time to demonstrate the grace that we’ve been given by God to others, particularly for those who differ in their approach to this global crisis. Corona-shaming and Corona-rage, are wrong and for the most part, outcomes of fear, anger, and pride.  

  Fear. God does not want us to live in fear. Some, though, may have reason to be more cautious. Perhaps, they have a compromised immune system or have constant contact with someone who does. Others feel pressure to work because of their financial situation. The terms “essential” and “non-essential” are not good designations for a healthy future of our society. God created work, all kinds, and types of work. Work gives us purpose and meaning.

  Fear can result in judgementalism of the person purchasing gardening supplies, but that gardener may be struggling with emotional issues or some addiction. It’s their attempt to keep themselves in a healthy place.

  Anger. It’s always dangerous to question motives. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” I appreciate and admire anyone who serves in a public office, even those I disagree with. The constant barrage of vitriol, whatever their political position, they must endure is tragic. Should we open sooner, as some have? Should we keep things closed down longer? Should we shut down like Italy? Should we open up like Sweden? Even the “experts” have limited information and continually contradict each other. If their decisions have positive results, they’ll be lauded as heroes. But if their decisions have dire consequences, they will be publicly shamed labeled failures by historians.

  As Christians, our biblically commanded responsibility is to first pray for them. Wonderfully, we are blessed in America where our voice and view can be heard. It needs to be done in a gracious and Christlike way with respect for the Imago Dei (made in the image of God). Jesus died for everyone, even governmental leaders that we disagree with.  

  Pride. The further our culture has drifted from a Judeo-Christian Worldview, the further we’ve drifted from any sense of humility and honesty. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have a leader say, “I don’t know” or “I was wrong”? Personally, I find it a bit disingenuous to have commercials from celebrities sitting in mega-mansions scolding the general public to “stay in and save lives.” Most of them have no expertise or education in this but are only being shoved into the spotlight because they’re famous.  

  Then, it seems insensitive and even arrogant to me, for those who can work from home or are financially independent, to scold those on more limited means or who don’t have that option. It was crass when one elected official scolded his constituents to “go out and get an essential job!”

  Would we be so condescending if our garbage wasn’t being picked up, the grocery stores closed and all those in some type of trucking or delivery was considered “non-essential”? That’s not to mention farmers and others who are part of the food chain that we usually take for granted, including migrant workers picking crops.

  Some foolishly suggest that we must trust the “science,” yet there’s little agreement among scientists or medical professionals about Covid19. As this is all new, it’s brimming with hypothesis and theory. The continually changing trajectories and estimates are evidence of that.

  While a world that doesn’t know the Almighty God may surrender to fear, anger and pride, those are not options for Christ-followers. While we’re not to be passive or foolish, we, as the people of grace, are to be known for graciousness! Many of us feel trapped and have pent up emotional energy and passion. Stress comes with that and often results in unhealthy outbursts or social media posts.

  Yet, God has promised to give us peace and wisdom. Let’s pray for insights and opportunities to use this difficult time to show kindness, thoughtfulness, and graciousness to all. May we be an example of who Jesus is. And when this all ends (and it will), may those around us say of us, “when everyone was losing their heads, they never lost their heart for God and for others.” #ThisisOURtime!  

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Stop Spreading Fear

“If the Lord be with us, we have no cause of fear.  His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer – His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable.”  John Newton

Recently I learned that Cheerios causes cancer. It has to be true. I read it on Facebook. So, being the loving, sacrificial husband and father that I am – I ate all of the Cheerios in the house (Okay, I didn’t really...but I thought about it and that’s almost the same thing.)

  While it’s true that Cheerios and other cereals contain a small level of glyphosate which is a known carcinogen, a direct link is unprovable. It’s estimated that the amount of glyphosate in cereal would result in one additional case of cancer in every million people over a lifetime.

  Before you email me data showing me that I’m wrong, that’s not my point. My concern is the needless spreading of fear. Should we seek to eat healthier? Absolutely! Yet, because this is a fallen world everything has some level of “poison” from the food we eat, to the water we drink, to the air we breathe. But God did not call us to be the “Bubble People.”

  When it comes to much of the sensationalism and panic that permeates social media and the media, I’m a skeptic. First, I rarely watch the news. When I do, I watch with a high level of skepticism. Both the media (and politicians) weaponize fear to garner attention and support. Fear sells. It’s very profitable. If you don’t believe me, try to buy hand sanitizer with the current panic about the Corona Virus.

  Fear is an invader. Fear is not part of our original design. We are Imago Dei, made in the image of God. God is never afraid or anxious. There was no fear in the Garden until sin entered. After Adam and Eve fell, they hide in fear from God. In Genesis 3:10 Adam replies to God, “I heard the sound of You [God] in the garden, and I was afraid…” 2 Timothy 1:7 is the antithesis of that, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” If God didn’t give us fear, who did? It’s obvious.

  To live in fear is a sin. When I was a child, I was terrified of the dark. I still remember becoming hysterical when my Mom would turn the light off in my bedroom. Often I’d wake up in the night and run to my parents’ bedroom. My Mom took me back to my bed, opened her Bible to Psalm 56:3. That promise has been with me for over five decades and still brings me great comfort: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee” (KJV).

  Do I still have bouts and struggle with fear? Yes, but not as much as I used to. My Heavenly Father continually increases my depth of faith. Faith grows from being in the Word (Romans 10:17), walking with Father and seeing His hand in my life. As I choose to fight off fear and trust my Father today, it becomes easier to trust Him and live fear-free tomorrow.

  For those who have committed their lives to Christ and trusting in the cross for our salvation, what do we really have to be afraid of? The very worst that can happen to us is Death. I love the Phillips rendering of 2 Corinthians 5:6-8: “We realise that being ‘at home’ in the body means that to some extent we are ‘away’ from the Lord, for we have to live by trusting Him without seeing Him. We are so sure of this that we would really rather be “away” from the body (in death) and be “at home” with the Lord.” Death is merely an entry to being Home with Jesus for all eternity!

  God is grieved when we surrender to the sin of fear. The nation of Israel spent an additional 40 years wandering the wilderness because they feared giants more than they trusted the God who had rescued them from Pharaoh and slavery in Egypt. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that we can’t please God without faith. Our Heavenly Father wants us to trust Him.

  That means that Christians must stop wringing their hands over viruses, elections, the economy, child abductions, etc. Yes, we need to be wise and use sanctified common sense. But our eyes must always be heavenward. As one Chinese pastor wisely said, “When you're in emergency, dial your spiritual 911- Psalm 91:1, ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.’”

  Times of panic are gospel opportunities. Believers like Jerry Thacker are the model for Christians. When HIV was still virtually unknown, Jerry, his wife, Sue, and their daughter, Sarah, all were infected with HIV through a blood transfusion during Sue’s delivery of their daughter. Yet, they turned what was a tragedy and a death sentence into a ministry to AIDS victims and used it to challenge the Church to minister to AIDS victims no matter how they might have contracted the disease.

  No doubt, given the current pace of developments, these numbers are already out of date. The coronavirus has now spread to over 60 countries, with major outbreaks in China, South Korea, Northern Italy, and Iran. Nearly 90,000 reported cases and over 3,000 deaths. As of this week, there were over 90 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States with six deaths. According to the best numbers so far, the lethality of COVID-19 is about 2%. If that rate holds, the coronavirus would be about 10 times as lethal as the seasonal flu, and even that high of a percentage is doubtful.

  It’s not surprising that those who don’t know Christ are terrified. Yet, it’s an opportunity for the people of faith to share hope, courage and truth. In the 16th century, German Christians asked Martin Luther how to respond to a crisis. In 1527, less than 200 years after the Black Death killed half of the population of Europe, the plague re-emerged in Luther’s own town of Wittenberg. In his letter “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague,” Luther gave advice for Christians confronting infectious disease outbreaks. He argued that anyone who stands in a relationship of service to another has a vocational commitment not to flee. Those in ministry, he wrote, “must remain steadfast before the peril of death.” The sick and dying need a good shepherd who will strengthen and comfort them. Luther challenged Christians to see opportunities to minister to the sick as an opportunity to show our love for God by loving our neighbors. While Luther doesn’t encourage his readers to expose themselves recklessly to danger, he constantly straddles two competing goods: honoring the sanctity of one’s own life, and honoring the sanctity of those in need.

  God is never surprised by calamity or tragedy. He is still on His throne, even using calamities, to accomplish His purposes. Christians must not panic. When times are at their worst, we believers should be at our best. And we will be when we live in the faith of knowing this world belongs to our Father, that He has it all under control and in the end, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

 Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Persecuted Christians in America???

“Christ’s followers cannot expect better treatment in the world than their Master had.”  Matthew Henry

  Does broad brush labeling bother you? Do you hate it when someone accuses you, just because you’re a Christian and have a certain worldview, of being “hateful” or “phobic”? One has to wonder – do those outside the Church really believe that Christians don emotional hazmat suits because we’re petrified that we might encounter someone who is a “sinner”?

  It’s frustrating when we’re caricatured by untrue broad brush labels like “hateful” and “phobic.” Yet, I find that we Christians do the same thing. We throw out broad brush terms. One that I believe we far too easily use is the word “persecuted.” It is true that things have changed in America and Western Culture. Religious freedom that we’ve taken for granted is being attacked. Personally, though, I have a hard time calling it persecution…maybe marginalized, but not persecuted.  

  Do we really believe liberals, feminists, those in the media or Hollywood are all the “enemy?” I don’t. I have Christian friends who’d probably be classified as liberals or feminists. Though I don’t personally know anyone in Hollywood, I know that there are Christians there, people who love Jesus just like you and I do. Do I believe that some of those who would be classified “liberals” are wrong? Yes, and when we get to Heaven, God will straighten them out (just kidding J). My point is that there are those who love the Lord and who are committed Christians in nearly every career field with various ideologies. They don’t all dot their “i’s” like we do.

  Yet, sadly, you’ll hear Christians, particularly in the “Christian” media whine about how Christianity is under attack and we’re being persecuted. While I’d agree that “persecution” is taking place in some isolated places in America, to be called a “naughty” name isn’t exactly what Scripture means when it talks about persecution. We need to stop saying that liberalism or other ideologies are a threat to Christianity, because they’re not. A threat to what? To somehow make Christianity untrue? Do we really believe Christianity or biblical truth is built on some sort of strawman and needs us to protect its validity?

  Too many Christians are paralyzed by fear. We talk about how liberalism or Hollywood are threats to Christianity. Compelling cases are made for why Christians should devote money, time or other resources to protect Christianity against these growing and seemingly innumerable threats.

  First, truth does not fear scrutiny. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the life” (John 14:6). Evil men who have sought to destroy God’s truth, repeatedly find themselves crushed underneath its weight. His truth is inescapable. Even our conscience has His truth stamped on it with a sense of what is moral, and what is right or wrong (Romans 2:14-15).  

  Second, fear is not of God. To be afraid, to view that anything could be a threat to Christianity implies that, somehow, Christianity could be put on some type of “endangered religions” list, or that Christians could become extinct altogether. It’s a lie fueled by hearts which have made power and influence idols.

  Christianity’s dominance in Western culture is not what legitimizes it. While it’s true, Christian dominance is being overshadowed by other religions and worldviews, the Christian faith is not dependent on cultural dominance to prove its validity, but by the dominion of our eternal, glorious God. God has not called us to be Crusaders, but rescue workers. When we claim some individual or group is threatening Christianity, it’s an insult to our omnipotent God. For God, competing worldviews are nothing. Christianity doesn’t have to be a popular worldview to be the right one.

  Personally, I’d have a hard time in heaven looking fellow believers in the eye who were beheaded by ISIS and then complain I was persecuted because I was called names or treated like I was some wacko. It’d be hard to complain that the Supreme Court taking away the right to pray or have a Bible study in a public school is persecution to believers who whispered songs in their worship services so they’d not be heard and arrested.

  Persecution is when the government, as we find in North Korea and other communist countries, seeks to control all religious thought and expression as part of a comprehensive plan to control all aspects of life. These governments regard religious groups as enemies of the state because they hold religious beliefs that contradict political ideology and challenge loyalty to the rulers. Persecution is when basic human rights are taken away, when Christians aren’t allowed freedom of expression, assembly, religious belief and movement. It’s when believers are executed for their faith, detained or tortured. As has been the case since the birth of the Church, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ live under governments who restrict or abuse religious freedom. Christians suffer deeply and are denied basic freedoms that all human beings should be entitled to.

  It is rare for us to face real persecution in Western culture. Being unpopular is not persecution. We need to develop some spiritual backbone. 

  Personally, I am amazed and humbled that fellow believers facing persecution rarely ask us to pray that their persecution will end. Instead, they beg us to please pray that they will be faithful and stand strong for Jesus through the persecution. They’re primary concern is not to be delivered, but instead to persevere in the trials they face in a way worthy of King Jesus. It’s time for us to stop whining and follow their example! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. "