Good afternoon Church,

This week, I wanted to share something God has been teaching me as I have been reading 2 Corinthians. In this letter, Paul is telling the Corinthians how he has been facing life-threatening dangers (much more deadly than many of us have ever faced) and yet his response to this danger is, “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:6-7). Fear has no grip on Paul because for him to live is Christ and to die is gain. He is not holding on to his life in this world because he knows the best is yet to come. Paul has complete confidence that the God who died for him will raise him up to glory and that gives him unshakeable courage to face the threats before him. This courage that Paul displays is truly countercultural. There is nothing in this world that can touch Paul. He is “sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).
 
These are basic truths that we as Christians believe. It is easy to mentally affirm them, however, when a dangerous situation comes or we face hardship, it is tempting to abandon these beliefs. Instead of being of good courage we get discouraged and become fearful and angry and turn quickly to preserve ourselves at all costs. Our actions speak louder than our words, and we show that on many levels we have not been gripped by the hope of glory that gripped Paul. We show that we are still in love with this world and the things of it. Our treasure is still here on earth and not in heaven.
 
How do we deal with moments like this when we are overcome with discouragement and fear? The first step is we come to terms with the shortness of our lives. We are like grass the Bible says, here one day and gone the next (1 Peter 1:24). Moses asks the Lord in Psalm 90 to “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” We need to come to terms with our mortality; our lives are short, and this whole world is passing away. As we do, we begin to see the vanity of treasuring the things of this world. I like these words by C.T. Studd, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past//Only what’s done for Christ will last”.
 
The second step to fighting fear and discouragement is to fix our eyes on Christ and the hope of eternity. We must set our minds on things above where Christ is seated (Col 3:1). We need to remind ourselves Jesus is seated on His throne reigning and bringing all things under his feet and that he will come back and give us an eternal inheritance. Nothing in this world can compare with the glory that is waiting for us when our Lord Jesus comes to make all things new once and for all.
 
In the face of these profound and simple truths, fear and discouragement must run and because of these truths, we are a people who are always of good courage, filled with joy and hope. We know that no virus or scheme of man can pluck us out of God’s hand. Therefore, we are bold people who do not fear what the world fears. 
 
May God make us people like Paul, who are always of good courage in the Lord. Let us not be sucked into the fear, discouragement and self-preservation that we see the world pursuing all around us in 2021.
 
I look forward to when we as Christ’s body can meet face to face. I am praying that this will happen soon, and I continually pray for each one of you that God would fill you all with the knowledge of His grace and truth in these challenging days. 
 
God bless!   
 
Taylor Ewert
Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church
taylorewert@friendship-bc.com
604.970.8506