I pray all is well with you and those that you love.
The future of this world remains uncertain but the Lord Jesus and all of His promises remain the same. The Triune God knows more, cares more and is doing more than we can see, believe or imagine.
We belong to Him!
2020 – A Painful and Revealing Year
2020 has been a painful and revealing year.
Some of us are trying to survive the physical attack of COVID-19. We’ve been reminded that our bodies are weak, frail and susceptible to a virus small and unseen.
Others are trying to heal emotionally and relationally from the isolation, social distancing and disruption of community. Sadly, separation has been used as the devil’s tool to create divisions and destroy trust.
Many are trying to survive, or at best, recover financially. The work of our hands has been met with futility, a chasing after the wind. A lifetime of labor meant to secure a sure and certain future has revealed the true nature of “mammon” … here today, gone tomorrow.
And spiritually … we lament and groan.
2020 has revealed a world that is sick, torn apart and ravaged by sin, death and the devil. We struggle with …
- a languishing faith
- a loss of hope
- and a lack of love
“Where and to Whom Shall We Go?”
One thing is certain … we’re not in 2019 anymore.
Or, more accurately said …
… we’re not in Eden anymore …
we haven’t been for a long time!
In days like these, where and to whom shall we go?
Where is the healing?
What is the cure?
In Jesus … the Worst of the World is Met with the Best of the Triune God
The good news is that in the person and work of Jesus we receive all of the gifts that only the Triune God can give! He not only gives life eternal but faith, hope and love for today!
In Jesus, the world is redeemed, restored and reconciled. We not only survive in this world, by God’s grace, we spiritually thrive. He superabundantly gives to us …
- a vibrant and active faith for today
- a sure and certain hope for tomorrow
- a selfless and sacrificial love each day for the neighbor
In Jesus, the worst of the world is met with the best of the Triune God. He makes all things new!
A Spiritual Check Up
If the world were to go to the doctor for its 2020 annual check up …
- what would the doctor say?
- what would the examination reveal?
- what’s the malady? the sickness? diagnosis?
- what’s the medicine? is there a cure?
- what “life changes” need to take place for restored and lasting health?
Doctor’s Orders from the Great Physician …
Repent! Receive! Rejoice! (and repeat)
Jesus, the Great Physician, has three doctor’s orders for a sick and dying world (and I’ll add a fourth) …
- a call to repent (a brutal and honest acknowledgement of sin and a “beggar like” dependence on the Lord Jesus)
- a call to receive (a bold faith to believe and trust that though we have nothing to offer the Lord Jesus, He has everything to give!)
- a call to rejoice (a surpassing, surprising and sacred joy given by God that rests in the promise that when you have the forgiveness of sins in Jesus you have … everything!!!)
- a call to repeat, repeat, repeat (a formation of a set of spiritual habits that makes the reception of the gifts of the Triune God a way of life – The Receptive Life)
CLICK the button below to learn more …
Here’s What I’d Like to Offer …
Let’s not just bemoan our 2020 COVID-19 world and quiver in fear. Nor let us resign ourselves to a dystopian fate and withdraw from the world. Let’s, with the Triune God’s help, jump into the fray and do something bold and beautiful.
Here’s the hope that we have in Jesus …
- Where the devil corrupts, the Triune God creates, and recreates, and recreates again.
- Where the devil kills and destroys, the Triune God resurrects and gives life.
- Where the devil separates, the Triune God redeems and reconciles.
Next Steps
That’s why, starting Thursday, October 22nd, I’d like to invite you to start a journey that will teach you how to live, not just a day, but a life of repentance – a life spent running to the Lord Jesus and receiving and rejoicing in all of the gifts that only the Triune God can give.
Here’s the itinerary and some next steps:
- Ten Days of Preparation and Examination Using the Ten Commandments (starts Thursday, October 22nd)
- A Day Set Aside to Repent, Receive and Rejoice in the House of God (East Bethlehem Lutheran Church has set aside Sunday, November 1st)
- A 12 week virtual course, process and experience called The Receptive Life that will help you learn where to find and how to receive all of the gifts that only the Triune God can give. (starts Monday, November 2nd)
Virtual Experience and Course Bundle
The course and guided tour for the To Whom Shall We Go? Journey will be hosted on a virtual, online learning portal called “eXPlain it”.
You can enroll in the To Whom Shall We Go? virtual bundle by clicking on the button below.
This bundle gives you access to all of the courses and resources that are needed for the To Whom Shall We Go? journey. The content will be loaded and the live teaching and guided tour will begin on Thursday, October 22nd.
Enroll in the Virtual Journey (Click Here)
We belong to Christ!
The Lord bless and keep us and grant us His peace,
Paul
P.S. Here are some links to new resources: