If any year deserves the word ‘unprecedented,’ 2020 is that year. It’s safe to assume that no one in San Francisco has experienced anything like this.
In light of this, when San Francisco first began to shelter in place, the pastors decided to take a detour from Luke to consider what God might be teaching us. How do we wait faithfully? What are the dangers in uncertainty? What are the opportunities?
One of the most challenging parts of sheltering-in-place has been finding rest. Whether you're overworked or without work, rest time often leaves us dissatisfied. But as Christians, it is our joyful duty to pursue rest. In Isaiah 55, we find three biblical principles to help us get there.
In crisis, God is looking to test our faith and give us greater life in Christ. But Satan has his own aims, wanting to turn testing into temptation. How do we understand the difference? What do we do? C.J. contrasts our impulse to hide, fight, and blame in the face of sin with gospel's invitation to expose, flee and own our sin.
Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as confidence in the unseen. This means that faith depends on a robust imagination, which sees God at work and hears his voice and feels his presence in our life. Dave unpacks the importance of imagination for faith, especially during times of crisis. Then, he calls us to exercise our imagination with radical gratitude.
Experts are telling us that many thousands of people are about to die all at once. What does the Bible say about death? How will we offer hope in the face of such tragedy? The Bible teaches us that death is inevitable, tragic, scary, and the result of sin. This is hard news, but it’s also the only explanation for death that we can be saved from. Every other explanation for death leaves us hopeless. Listen how Jesus not only identifies with our experience of death but how he saves us by dying for us!
In light of this experience, we are in a series entitled “As We Wait: Faithfulness in Uncertainty.” What would God have us do in this season? This week, from Exodus 15, C.J. reflects on the Biblical reality of the wilderness and how it applies to this current moment. How might Jesus be inviting you into this wilderness to offer you a freedom far beyond what you can imagine. Are you tempted, as the Israelites were, to return to a yoke of slavery in Egypt because you are not content with these present circumstances?
In light of this unprecedented season, we are beginning a series entitled “As We Wait: Faithfulness in Uncertainty.” What would God have us do in this season of waiting? This week, from 1 Peter 1:3-9, Dave reminded us that we do have purpose; our purpose in trial is found in God’s purpose; and this purpose is the refining of our faith in Him.
