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A Favorite Verse That is So Much More

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By Dan Amos

Have you ever run across a verse that acts as the proverbial two-by-four upside the head? I can definitely point to Romans 1:20 as an example. I read it. Then I re-read it over and over. I pondered it and printed it out and posted it on my monitor at work. It was such a foundational verse, one that underpins my worldview and helps to explain our current situation.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

This is a verse of incredible hope to me. God created. He’s in control, always has been and always will be. While He has chosen to limit His revelation to us, enough is there that we can know, whether we are a scientist or not. There’s enough evidence to acknowledge His majesty, that we have to actively deny Him to not see it. I see how we are fearfully and wonderfully made and I know that I don’t have the kind of faith to believe inorganic matter spontaneously came alive on its own and overcame entropy to organize into the complex, interdependent organisms that are people.

The rest of the chapter is less hopeful, more instructive as it describes the consequences of our denial:

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ( Romans 1: 21-22)

We know the consequences of our sin and that of our ancestors. What was made very good was spoiled. Life became difficult and finite as a result. What we are experiencing today was not part of His plan, but it is redeemable even in the tragedy and loss.

I count myself fortunate and blessed in this time. I am thankful more than ever and for more than before. I have often given thanks for those who serve in our military, law enforcement and medical service. Now, I recognize my gratitude for the truckers, the clerks, the stockers. I am thankful for all those people who make everyday living possible and who continue on today under difficult conditions and often with smiles under their masks. I hope as we return to a new normal, whatever that may be, that we don’t forget how we were served so well by so many.

There are many who are making an extraordinary effort on our behalf. We have Sunday service because of many sacrificially serving. Every week because of people like Lars P. and Gregg Z., we are getting closer and closer connected while physically apart. How wonderful that they are harnessing technology to serve.

And of course the Good News is we are not doomed to condemnation without hope:

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-24)

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Seeking God in the Face of Adversity

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By Bill Naron

Each of us can no doubt remember a time before the COVID-19 pandemic. A time when there was no government shutdown and when churches gathered physically. In the face of our struggle against this disease, many aspects of our lives have changed. For many, the stay-at-home order and the resulting inability to gather with the ones we love is difficult. In some ways, this is a type of suffering that is not “normal” for us as Americans.

This hardship we are experiencing has disrupted our usual way of life. We are not able to go and to do the things that we would typically do. We are not able to gather with our friends and family. We are not able to corporately worship, as a body of believers, in the way we are accustomed to gathering. A suffering of this nature is not something that we, as Americans, have much experience with.

A week ago, as I was perusing YouTube, I came across a video by Francis Chan entitled “Message to the Hong Kong Church.” He read from the Psalms, specifically 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” When I heard these words, I stopped cold. It resonated with me and was like a breath of fresh air.

“Be still and know that I am God.” What a powerful statement that is and what a great reminder of Who is in control. I know that there are many different opinions about the things that are happening and how Christians should engage. As I heard these words, they reminded me of Daniel. In Daniel chapter 6, the other high officials who served King Darius deceived him into signing a law that no one could pray to any god but him for 30 days. But God’s faithful servant Daniel did what he always did – the right thing. He defied the order and continued to pray to God

Right now, as we face this hardship together as a body and as we mindfully navigate these perilous times, there are three things we should not neglect to practice. First, we need to “be still” and know that God is on His throne. Second, we need to pray for our leaders at Elim and in the Church throughout the world, and for governmental authorities. And third and finally, we need to follow the example of the prophet Daniel, who made trusting, following and pleasing God the top priority in his life, regardless of the personal cost.

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The Last Family on Earth

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By Larry Short

I was struck today by Pastor Steve’s thought-provoking Oasis: Elim at Home message about isolation and Noah’s Ark. You may already know that I’m a huge fan of the Noah’s ark story (Genesis 6-8). My entire office at home is decorated with Noah’s ark artwork. When I was in my 20s, I wrote a novel about the situation in Noah’s day. I’ve always found thinking about this biblical-historical account extremely fascinating. And despite the critics of the story, I have no doubt it’s literally true—because Jesus Himself said so.

In fact, I was super excited a few years back when Russell Crowe (an actor I respect) starred in a new movie called Noah. Darlene and I found the nicest theater we could watch it in and rushed to see one of the first showings.

And we were bitterly disappointed. To the point of anger, even. How could anyone possibly mess up such a beautiful, compelling story so badly?

Anyway, I won’t give my critical review here. Suffice it to say, if you haven’t seen it yet, don’t bother.

But with all my thinking over the years about Noah and his story, I had never really thought about what it must have felt like to actually BE the last family on earth—isolated with a menagerie in a huge barge, being tossed about on the waves in a world gone mad.

Steve asked some perceptive questions that got me going:

What was the downside of being on the ark?

Well, at first you think of all the obvious things. The smell must have been special. No power, no running water, no real sanitation—and I doubt you’d want to build a fire on a big wooden boat made of pitch, so how would you cook? Meals must have been rather dull.

But beyond that, there are the incalculables more difficult to imagine. How would you actually feel knowing that you were the last family on earth? How would you feel knowing that everyone else you had ever met and cared for was now dead? Talk about a feeling of isolation!

And how would you think about the future? Would you wonder, as the days dragged on, if you might have to live out the rest of your life on that big, stinky boat? How they must have longed for dry land.

What do you think Noah and his family were missing?

I am a person who loves to spend time in the mountains. Normally April would be the start of my morel mushroom-hunting season, and my son Nathan and I would head out to the Eastern Cascades, probably meeting my sister Kay and her husband Tom there, to launch out into our state’s beautiful forests in search of our elusive prey. But now, all the national forestlands, national and state parks, and camping facilities have been closed. I can still walk through the little wooded areas near my home, such as the Tacoma Watershed, which is nice, but it’s not the same. I’m itching to get back out into the mountains and hunt some mushrooms again!

And I also feel guilty when I feel this way, because I know it’s far worse for many others, such as for our friends Larry and Marilyn Nelson, who are confined in their small apartment in a retirement home, and for those who have been exposed to the virus and live in fear or who are sick and are not yet sure why. I am thankful every day not to be in that boat.

But I wonder how Noah’s sons and daughters-in-law felt when they looked out over the rail onto that endless, churning sea. Would a day ever come when things would be different? When the hope they had for a new and better world would become a reality?

Finally, what were the advantages of being isolated on the ark?

I think the biggest and most obvious advantage was that they were alive! In His mercy, God spared them from His incredible judgment against a rebellious world.

And this knowledge would have given rise to an incredible sense of hope. God had a plan. He intended to restart civilization. They would see it through. They had a second chance!

In many ways, I feel the same way about the current crisis. Yes, we are at home, isolated. But we are alive! God in His grace and mercy has spared us from this plague. And, while a resurgence is always possible and we must be diligent to guard against it, Washington State Department of Health data shows that infections and deaths in our state are on a downslope. Things will get better! God has a plan. There is hope.

Hope is incredibly important to the human condition. Many people misunderstand the word hope because it has been diluted by our culture’s current abuse of the term. But really, in my view, it is more akin to the term vision.

And the Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).

I think the same thing is true of hope. It is a gift from God to renew us (Isaiah 40:31) and keep us focused on His plan (Jeremiah 29:11). It’s hope that arises because He has saved us and has called us to love Him and live committed to His purposes (Romans 8:28)—hope that we are on a journey, and at the end of that journey will be a new and better world!

There are many good things about our current isolation: It is keeping us safe. It gives us time to think, time to get our priorities straight, time to readjust our focus. And it brings to us hope for a coming day when we will see the goodness of our beautiful Savior in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13)!

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On Which Crown Do We Focus?

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by Pastor Steve McCoy

“Thorns and thistles” the ground would produce, God told Adam after the fall (Gen. 3:18).  I suggested in my sermon this past week that perhaps the coronavirus could be considered a molecular “thorn” and/or a microscopic “thistle.”

The Washington Post ran an intriguing article titled, “The Coronavirus Isn’t Alive. That’s Why It’s So Hard To Kill,”by Sarah Kaplan, William Wan, and Joel Achenbach.

Here are some snippets that caught my attention.

Viruses are “little more than a packet of genetic material surrounded by a spiky protein shell one-thousandth the width of an eyelash.”

Coronaviruses are “named for the protein spikes that adorn them like points of a crown.”

Gary Whittaker, a Cornell University professor of virology, described a virus as being somewhere “between chemistry and biology.”

“There is a certain evil genius to how this coronavirus pathogen works: It finds easy purchase in humans without them knowing. Before its first host even develops symptoms, it is already spreading its replicas everywhere, moving onto its next victim. It is powerfully deadly in some but mild enough in others to escape containment.”

“When viruses encounter a host, they … unlock and invade its unsuspecting cells. Then they take control of those cells’ molecular machinery to produce and assemble the materials needed for more viruses.”

“Once inside a cell, a virus can make 10,000 copies of itself in a matter of hours. Within a few days, the infected person will carry hundreds of millions of viral particles in every teaspoon of his blood.”

“Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins University, compared viruses to particularly destructive burglars: ‘They break into your home, eat your food, use your furniture and have 10,000 babies. And then they leave the place trashed.’”

During this Good Friday week, we reflect on how “soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his [Christ’s] head” (John 19:2).  Corona is the Latin word for crown. Under the microscope, the virus looks like a thorny crown.  While our world is focused on this thorny crown virus, let us as Christians focus upon our Savior, who embraced our sinful state and wore a crown of thorns!

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Love Over Fear

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by Cindy Waple

I recently saw a church sign that read: With social distancing, practice love over fear, peace over panic. As Tina Turner famously asked, “What’s love got to do with it?” How can love help with fear and anxiety, especially fear associated with Covid-19?

According to the Bible, love has everything to do with all that is happening, before, during, and after Covid-19. Here are just a few reasons why I believe and cling to this truth.

First, God is love (1 John 4:8,16). God is the source of all unconditional love. Human conditional love is often earned and can be taken away. God loves each and every one of us not because we deserve it, but because it is who He is. There is nothing you or I can do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we can do to lose God’s love. It was because of His great love for us that God sent his Son to die (John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:10). Our human minds cannot even begin to fathom the depth of love God has for each of us! And in His grace and mercy, God has filled our hearts with His love by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).

Second, there are two key transitional moments in the Bible where love is set as a primary imperative. In the book of Deuteronomy, Israel is about to enter the Promised Land, and leadership is changing from Moses to Joshua. Moses offers a farewell address to Israel exhorting them as they move forward to remember the commands and laws of God. He begins with the most important: Israel is to remember that God is one, He is the Lord. And next they are to love Him with all of their heart, soul and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-6). My simple translation is this: If you remember nothing else, remember this: God is One, and love Him with all of your being!

Now, fast forward over a thousand years, and another key transition is about to take place. Jesus is observing Passover with His disciples. In a few hours He will be arrested and sent to the cross to die. As He finishes the Passover meal, and after Judas has left to betray Him, Jesus gives His disciples a new command: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35).

Love is always important to God, and to Jesus, and forms the two greatest commands (Matthew 22:36-40). Love is essential during great transitions, such as we are in at Elim; and especially now in a world with Covid-19. The question we must ask ourselves is: Do I seek to live my life, first and foremost, from a place of unconditional love?

Lastly, we are reminded in 1 John 4:18 that “perfect love expels all fear.” And one of my favorite verses about love and fear reminds us that “with his [God’s] love, he will calm all your fears” (Zephaniah 3:17, NLT). Love wins over fear. Why? I don’t know all of the reasons, but I do know that 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that God has not given us a spirit of fear.  But God has given us love.

I would prefer to focus on and live out what God has given me. Fear paralyzes, love frees. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the next week or month in this season of Covid-19, but I do know that no matter what happens, nothing will ever separate me from the unfailing, immeasurable love of God (Romans 8:35-39). Here is a beautiful truth about God’s love — He lavishes His love upon us. He fills us with His love, pushing out fear, anxiety and worry. And then we become the conduit of His love toward others, freely sharing what God has graciously given to us.

That is perhaps the greatest gift the Church has to offer the world during this pandemic — unconditional love that conquers fear! I do understand that during these uncertain times fear is a normal response. May we be encouraged, when fear does start to enter our minds, to hit the pause button and turn our attention to God’s love. Meditate on the love scriptures mentioned here, or others that bring you comfort. Let His great love for you and your love for Him flood your heart and soul. And in doing so, we will experience love over fear, and peace over panic.

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