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March 2, 2021

A Missing Perspective in the Safety Debate

One year ago, most of us were just beginning to hear about the COVID-19 virus. And for the last twelve months staying safe from the virus has dominated the news. Varying strategies attempting to keep us safe have been debated and employed, from lockdowns, to masks, to herd immunity, to vaccinations. Today, we are aware of unintended consequences that have arisen from some of these strategies as the headlines contain articles dealing with children’s mental health issues from school lockdowns, and the rise in suicide and drug overdose within this last year. The focus continues to be on economic safety, mental health safety, and physical safety.

So what is the missing perspective in the safety debate? The news has been dominated by man’s ideas for safety, but there has been little or no mention of the Lord needing to be our safety. Imagine if Psalm 91:1-2 dominated the headlines of our minds: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him I will trust.” Did you notice the words, “shadow,” “refuge,” and “fortress”? All these terms deal with protection and safety. What better place for safety, then the shadow of the Almighty and the Most High. The psalmist declares, “My God in Him I will trust.” One may say, yes, the psalmist is trusting in the Lord for spiritual protection, but not for safety from a disease. But as you continue reading you see that this trust is for the Lord to deliver him from the perilous pestilence (Psalm 91:3, 6). A pestilence is a deadly, contagious, physical disease. The One who is to be trusted for our daily bread is the same God who is to be trusted to deliver us from sickness and disease.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the major news outlets, social media feeds, and government officials proclaimed we need to ultimately depend on the Lord to deliver us from this disease? Yet this disease is showing the state of our society and our lack of trust in the Lord. Headlines are dominated by government “experts” and government edicts, all of which are training people to depend more on the government, rather than on God. Some have even borrowed a biblical term, “trust” as they have implored us to trust the science, without any mention of trusting the Savior. The term trust means “to confide in, to place one’s confidence in or to set one’s hope upon.” The Biblical perspective warns us to beware when we are told to trust in human wisdom or knowledge rather than trusting in the Lord (Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 3:5; 14:12).

When the King of all the earth, spoke to King Solomon at the dedication of the temple, He proclaimed, “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Proud people will not recognize God’s sovereign hand over sickness and death. Their perspective lacks the truth that God is the Most High. But the humble will experience the blessing of “dwelling in the secret place of the Most High and of abiding under the shadow of the Almighty!” (Psalm 91:1) Ultimately, the one who trusts the Savior will be the most secure in this life, as he will see God’s sovereign control and His eternal salvation. (Psalm 91:16)

March 5, 2019

To Every Nation

Approximately 7.5 billion people live on the earth that God created. Of those 7.5 billion people, we can really divide them into two categories. They either believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or they do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:36). The church, comprised of believers from around this world, has been commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ with a two-fold task. The first task involves their assignment with the unbelievers. They are to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Someday the gospel will be proclaimed to all the nations (Matthew 24:14) and people from every nation will be present in heaven (Revelation 7:9). But how does this important task affect us in 2019?

Assuming you are a believer, you have been given an assignment with the people in your world who do not yet know the Savior. You are to be the one who faithfully displays and declares the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. The New Testament gives several specific examples. First, ask yourself if all of the members of your household are believers. If not, then a primary assignment for you is to share Christ by your life and by your lips in your home. 1 Peter 3:1 describes how a believing wife by her joyful submission will be a powerful testimony to her unbelieving husband. 2 Timothy 1:5 and 1 Timothy 3:15 relate how a godly grandma and mom lived and shared their faith with their grandson and son by teaching him the Holy Scriptures. Be careful when you think about the great commission that you don’t neglect the people in your own family.

Second, realize that there are other people in your world outside of your family that need to know the Lord. Again the emphasis of missions in the New Testament begins on a local level. Every nation includes our local community. The early church began in Jerusalem and their first assignment was to be witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). One missionary has commented that the best sending churches are those who are faithfully carrying out the great commission in their local community. In other words, if we are fulfilling our task on a local level, we will probably be serving our missionaries well on an international level. I’m thankful for the missionary emphasis we have at First Baptist Church of Hamburg. To hear people praying for missionaries on Wednesday nights, reaching out to them when they visit our church, communicating with them, encouraging them, and giving financially to them are all huge blessings to acknowledge. Just this last month Pastor Filipe broke ground on the new edition for their church building. Praise God that the gospel is for every nation and we have the privilege of participating in that task, both here in Western New York and around the world.

There is another task implied in the great com-mission and that is our relationship to the believers. Matthew 28:19-20 continues with the work of the church in baptizing believers and teaching and encouraging believers. Again the emphasis in the New Testament focuses on our local relationships starting with our own families. Parents are to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-4). Husbands are to nurture their believing wives with the Word (Ephesians 5:25-28). Those local relationships continue as we en-courage one another in the body of Christ. Regular participation in the meeting of the saints is a vital component in fulfilling the great com-mission (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Someday we will have the privilege of being with the redeemed from every nation as we worship our Lord in heaven. Until then, may we be found faithful as we seek to make disciples and be faithful disciples from every nation!

From Our Pastor’s Desk

Welcome to Pastor Leary’s Blog! Here you will find encouraging articles to equip you with biblical principles for the practical issues of life.  Read along, be encouraged, and stay updated with the ministries of FBC as we continue to be changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

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