And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.
(Matthew 24:4-8)
We are living in the last days, and Jesus foretold all of the sorrows that we are currently experiencing. Nevertheless, in spite of the pandemic, fires, racial inequality, unemployment, corrupt politics and everything else that makes life difficult, believers have the divine assurance that everything will be alright. David said: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Ps. 37:25).
Although life today is so different than life just five months ago, life is still worth living. We must figure out a way to adjust yet still enjoy life, and we must have faith in God to make a way somehow!
Many of us are “sheltered in place,” but we cannot allow our God-given gifts to be “sheltered in place.” God wants all of us to continue to use the gifts He has blessed us with to glorify Him. Though our gifts differ on one hand, we have some gifts in common on the other hand. For example, all of us have the gift of persuasion. We can persuade people positively and negatively; therefore, on the positive, let’s use our gift of persuasion to inspire people.
First, let’s inspire people to be saved. Since we are living in the last days, everyone will soon stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ. Those saved will go to heaven, but those unsaved will go to hell. As believers, each of us was once lost but not found. Since we are now saved, we have an obligation to inspire all that we can to be saved. Share Scriptures, such as John 3:16 and Romans 10:9, with people who do not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Secondly, let’s inspire people to live responsibly. We need to do a better job taking care of ourselves and others. I am at times dubious about some of the information that we receive about Covid-19; however, I do believe that something unclean and perhaps demonic is causing a lot of people to become ill and a lot of people to die. People are living irresponsibly when they infect others superfluously, and people are living irresponsibly when they commit crimes that disadvantage others. In regards to this pandemic and criminal activities, each of us should strive to be a solution to these types of problems by living responsibly and inspiring others (family, friends, etc.) to live responsibly.
Thirdly, let’s inspire people to register now to vote. Almost twelve years ago, our country made history by electing Barack Obama, the first African American, to be the President of the United States. One of the major reasons Barack Obama won was because of the large turnout of voters who usually do not vote. Protesting can be good and is probably necessary, especially concerning White and police brutality against African Americans, but voting for the right people in leadership and laws to live by are more essential. I strongly encourage everyone to vote and stoke others to vote because we are faced with some serious local, state and national challenges that we can overcome through our vote!
In conclusion, I express my utmost appreciation to those of you who have faithfully and generously supported St. John financially, especially in the last five months. Please continue to give by mailing or dropping off your Tithes and Offerings to our St. John South Campus (662 South 52nd Street—Richmond, CA 94804), or by giving online through our website (sjmbc.org). If you mail or drop off your contribution but no longer have Offering Envelopes, please include a note stating specifically how you want your money to be disbursed.
May God Bless And Sustain Each of Us.
Your Servant In Christ (Who Is Recovering Well),
Pastor Kevin B. Hall