Ever since the tragic day of September 11 people have been left searching for answers of which for the most part the answers have left many filled with fear. All across the nation today and around the world people are beginning to faint with fear as we face the toughest economic time since the great depression. I believe and have been communicating since September 11 that this can be the churches finest hour and I still believe this to be true today. More people are open to the gospel right now than in my lifetime so I conclude that we the church must seize he opportunity that has been set before us.
What should our response be as a church?
1. Comfort others with God’s goodness.
There is no comfort in believing that God had anything to do with any of the negatives we see in the world today.
2 Cor.1: 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2. Seize ministry opportunities.
What one person views as an obstacle is another mans opportunity. The opportunity to minister to people is greater than in has ever been in our lifetime.
Matthew 24:42 tells us as we see the day of the Lord approaching that we should be active in ministry. The Amplified Bible says; “ Watch therefore [give strict attention, be cautious and active] for you do not know in what kind of a day [whether a near or remote on] your Lord is coming”.
The Webster Dictionary defines the word “active” as:
(a.) To be constantly engaged in action with forward motion.
God is not a God of retreat, he is a go forward God. When Moses stood before the Red Sea with mountains on both sides and Egyptians behind him God said go forward. This is not a time for the church retreat but to reach out like never before. The purpose of terrorism is to paralyze people with fear thus rendering people inactive.
(b.) To pursue business with passion, zeal and energy.
In Luke 2:49 Jesus said I “must” be about my Father’s business. The business the Father had given him is recorded Luke 4:18&19; “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Jesus said I “must” do what I have been sent to do.
(c.) The disposition to move with speed.
It is time to intensify our efforts in reaching out with God’s love. In this hour we need an “all out” spirit. We need to finish the race we have been given with a big kick or surge much like the runner that is on his last lap of a race. It is not a time to slow down and cut back but a time to pick up speed and do more than we have ever done in the past to demonstrate God’s love. As our government called up many reserves over the last thirty days it is also time for the church to do the same. People that have been inactive need encouraging and challenged to become active. The Message Bible states in 1 Corinthians 12 that each person has been given something to do that shows who God is, everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.
The church stands before a great door of opportunity and we as leaders must challenge those around us to seize it with a passion that springs from a heart that is motivated by love and not fear. I challenge you to begin looking for new ways to reach out to your community and the world around you