How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
The chaos continues all around us. The news changes, but the encouragement changes very little as we are asked to take the same precautions and take care of ourselves and others.
The decision to have ONLINE CHURCH tomorrow and not in person was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make. There are people all around who disagree, but our church’s key leadership team and I are grateful and believe totally that God led us to this decision.
It is not one of fear. Our decision wasn’t made because of the governor’s or the president’s request. Healthcare professionals and those dealing with this on a daily basis are doing their best to stop the spread. We will trust God completely through this.
Thus I write to you today to ask you to join me and the church online tomorrow. We will be on Facebook Live beginning at 10:10am Eastern time. You can find the online worship service at www.facebook.com/tcf1010, and I also remind you and encourage you to give online. That link is https://tcf.ccbchurch.com/goto/giving and choose the general fund. This is a difficult time and your faithful giving is vital to our church being able to continue the work God has called us to be doing.
The enemy is working, and he is good at what he does. Look at the verse I close with. What the enemy does well, God takes and changes for good. Remember what Romans 8:28 says for those of us who choose to follow God. He is for us, He is working in our favor, He is making sure that our good is happening and will continue. Trust God.
Further, I ask that each us take care with how we converse with each other. Seek to encourage. If we disagree, do it with kindness. Listen in more than normal. That is tough for those of us who like to talk. The decisions many are having to make are difficult.
There is a social media post going around that I appreciate very much. It talks about the fact that pastors have never had to lead and serve during an pandemic. We will do our best but make mistakes. We will be chastised for our decisions. Yet our hearts are the same, desiring to serve, to make a difference and to help people know the hope that comes solely from God.
My heart is heavy, friend. This decision to not meet in person and only online is one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make. Thank you for trying to understand even if we disagree. Thank you for your prayers, and I am praying for you.
I am praying for business leaders. I am praying for first responders and those in healthcare field. We should be praying for each other. Pray for those who are at the greatest risk for getting the COVID-19 virus. Anyone with a heart condition or diabetes or many different things are at risk. The elderly or people with a compromised immune system need to be very careful.
What will we do? We will worship. Our worship team will lead worship and I will preach live on Facebook Live tomorrow morning, and that service will be online continually after the service. I will be having many more Facebook Live videos, sermons, devotions, Bible studies and prayer in the coming days.
In fact I am joining with some other churches, most are in Texas, for a push called “Church on the Rise” where we will communicate to the world and with God above to help us all deal with the issue of COVID-19. We will be sharing and practicing 4 “C’s” which are practice COMMON sense, seek CHURCH unity, be CITY serving, and we will be CRYING out in prayer. Listen for more about this.
I began with a verse about help and hope. God is our help and our hope. I will close with a verse about how God works. What Satan uses for evil our God turns in to good. Be careful, my friends. I look forward to seeing many of you online!
God is good … all the time!
Genesis 50:20 NASB
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.
Pray for the family Johnny Harold, Nancy Wright brother, as he passed away Thursday night and funeral will be Monday at 2pm. Pray for those impacted by the coronavirus and those living in fear.
Also I am praying for Tim King, Stephanie Penn, Mike Pennington, Senga and Lloyd, Anita Martin, Kathy and Danny Wilson, Kyle Ogle, and a friend with an unspoken request; and those battling cancer: Howard Hodges, Jon Morris, Julie Metz, Martha Pennington, Meredith Spencer, and Jennifer Tatum.
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