Spiritual Prepping

Good morning everyone, grace to you in our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ! This is Pastor Chris from Cumberland Worship Center and I would like to welcome all of you to our first ever online only service! Or, at least the first ever, online only since I have been the senior pastor of CWC!

Let me take just a moment to say thank you for taking time this morning to tune in and be a part of the message. As it is right now, about 11:00 am and we have just went live and gotten under way, I want to allow another minute or two for others to have time to log in and be a part of our message together.

Let me encourage you right now, that if you don’t have a good hot cup of coffee beside you and your Bible in front of you, please take just a moment and grab them both! (Note that I said, the Bible in front of you and coffee beside you. The Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, and so, it should always be in front. The coffee is there to help stimulate you and keep you alert while you’re walking the path and reading the Word, amen?

Just one more quick thought, as we are waiting for a few more to log in and join us live. I have received several text messages, phone calls and emails, from several of you over the course of the past week, stating how much you have enjoyed this past week and the “homework” assignment that I gave last week, of reading and journaling down your thoughts, as Holy Spirit speaks to you about this amazing passage of scripture in the Word of God!! There is something powerful to actually writing down the thoughts and inspirations that we have, as we read and feed our spirits from the living Word of God!

Please let remind you again, as there have been some questions coming in over the past couple of days, about the ability to send in your offerings to the church office. This is back up and running again and you can definitely go onto our mobile app (the My Church App) and hit the “giving” button, or you can go the church website at (www.cumberlandworshipcenter.org) and hit the “give online” button. Both of these will take you to where you need to be in order that you can continue supporting the ministry of the church. You can also still just mail it in, or drop it off by the church office, Tuesday-Thursdays, as the office will still be running to handle other daily operations of the church.

Well, allow me to open up in a word of prayer and then we’ll get under way! (PRAY OVER THE MESSAGE AND THOSE WATCHING AS WELL AS THOSE WHO ARE UNABLE!)

I want to take you back to a time period nearly 100 years ago in our nation’s history. America had already been through and survived World War I and was now entrenched in the midst of one of the most trying times in the history of this nation. It was a period of time which began on “Black Thursday”, October 24, 1929 and it lasted a whole decade, until 1939. This time period was known as the “Great Depression”. It was a time period that lasted right up until the beginning of the second World War.

Many, if not most Americans were stressed and uneasy and scared, having gone through one of the most trying times in our nation’s history that was plagued with bankruptcy and poverty and homeless/jobless, starving people all over the country and only to land on the doorstep of another horrific historical event....which was World War 2!

Our nation and its people were looking for answers and some sense of comfort and peace in the midst of all of this crisis and tragedy and so the president of the United States at that time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, (who was affectionately called “FDR”), answered their call, with a comforting and exhorting series of radio messages, in which the president began lay out the plans for recovery for this nation. These messages began on March 12, 1933 and ran through 1944, in a series of some 30 encouraging talks, which became affectionately entitled, FDR’s “Fireside Chats”.

In the evenings, whenever President Roosevelt was scheduled to deliver another chat and it was about time for him to log on and begin, Americans would flock to their family and/or neighbor’s radios and sit around them, united together as one, and they would all listen, intently, to the voice of comfort and reason that offered them hope and renewed confidence for the coming future of this great nation!

Now, flash forward to the present day, just around 5 years ago, as my wife, Desirae, and I were just beginning our roles as senior pastors of CWC.

I had a thought, a vision if you will, about a series of messages that I would begin to share with people, via the internet, entitled the, “Fireside Chats”, which would be focused on giving short, encouraging, uplifting Biblically based messages to all who would listen.

The timing was not right, however, and the idea fell to the wayside very quickly.

And so, here we are today, Sunday March 22, 2020, 87 years to the exact month of the very first “Fireside Chat” delivered to this nation’s people and I can say that it is definitely the time to deliver another one of those, exhorting, encouraging messages to the people of this great city and county and even country, as we are in a time of doubt and question about where things are headed!

I posted an email this past week to everyone in the church, announcing a decision that myself and the elders of the church made on Tuesday, concerning the operations of our church for at least the next two weeks. That decision was: that we would be suspending all regular services, as well as cancelling all activities that were scheduled to take place at the church for the next two weeks. This decision was not isolated one, as many if not most of the local churches in the surrounding Cumberland County area, were making similar decisions for their part of the body of Christ.

And the reason that these decisions were being made, as all of you are aware of, was due to the increased spread of the COVID - 19 virus, (a.k.a. the Corona virus).

I shared in the email something that I want to reiterate with you right now, pertaining to the decision that we made about the closing of our church building for this designated period of time.

We did NOT make our decision to temporarily close the church based upon, or out of fear or compulsion, but rather, we prayerfully sought the will and wisdom of God, by His Holy Spirit’s guidance.

And we acted in accordance with what the Bible instructs us to do in , where it tells us to be subject to and obey the authorities that exist above us, (as in the government and our president), because these authorities only exist because the Lord God, Himself, allows them to exist.

And unless they are going against and rebelling against the will and the Word of God, then we are to honor them and do as they ask of us.

Well, asking the population not to assemble for a brief period of time, to lessen or stop the spread of a highly contagious virus that threatens the lives of the members of our churches and our communities, is not rebelling against the Word of God. In fact the Mosaic law, God’s own law, itself stated that if someone had a skin disease, or a discharge (like blood), they were to remain isolated from the others, to contain it and stop its spread, until such a time as they could be proven to be non-contagious.

This was the command of God, Himself for His people.

And so, we, as the elder board and the senior pastors of this church, prayerfully and Biblically felt complete peace with our decision to honor God as well as the men and women that He has instituted put into place, to govern our nation and observe this temporary isolation period!

I felt that it was important that everyone see and as well as hear me say these words to you this morning and reaffirm to you that we are using prudent, Godly wisdom, as the leadership of this church in making the decisions that we make, or have made.

The Bible clearly tells us to ask for and use wisdom and prudence in our lives. I mentioned in the email that I sent out this past week, the passage from , which says, “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

We should want to act in prudence and not move blindly when it comes to operating in our daily lives, but even more so, when it comes to operating as ambassadors of Christ! Amen?!

The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

And so, here we are today, though apart in body, yet united in spirit, as Paul so mentioned to the church in . You know, we are really blessed in this time and season in our nations history and in the history of the church, to have the ability to join in like this on the internet and be a part of this message together today, as well as next Sunday, because we are unable to do so in person. Having said this, let me also say to you, that this is only a temporary situation and should never be considered the norm as to the operational standard for the body of Christ. (That is, whenever we have the opportunity and are able to assemble together for the health and the unity of the church body, WE SHOULD DO SO!) The Bible itself warns us in ,

Hebrews 10:24–25 NLT

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

So, we should look forward to seeing our brothers and sisters in Christ weekly and joining together and worshipping our great God and Savior as ONE FAMILY! United and having all things in common!

And so, we find ourselves today, in a rather peculiar situation. We, as a church, as well as a nation, are in a very trying and uncomfortable time that has affected most all of us in some way. This all due to the pandemic disease that has spread around the globe, known as the Corona virus.

And just like those in our nation’s history, who were in a very trying and difficult time all those years ago in 1933 and who were looking for some answers and some words of comfort and of peace and assurance that everything was going to be OK; so today are many, many Americans, (Christian and non- Christian alike), looking for those same words.

People are daily, scouring the news, looking for words of comfort and answers from the government and the CDC, that will assure them that everything is going to be OK and the this blight, this disease, has been eradicated and that our economy is on the upswing!

Or at the very least, they want to hear of the plan that is in place and that is going make everything right and that will start getting their lives back to the way they were!

And I completely understand that and I get the fear and frustrations that people have right now, with regard to their jobs and finances and the uncertainties associated with these areas!

Because this thing has hit our house and my family the same as yours. We are asking the same questions in our house, just like most of you are: “What happens if this thing continues to drag on?”, “What will we do if finances are delayed for long periods of time?”, “ARE WE PREPARED FOR THE LONG HAUL?”

“ARE WE PREPARED FOR THE LONG HAUL?!” How many of you have asked this same question or something like it, in your homes this past week with your families and loved ones this ?

We have recently been looking at how to teach and train people to be prepared for emergencies in our church family, because the average American, does not prepare for calamity and emergency situations!

And many if not most Americans, because of the blessed nation that we live in, never think that disaster and calamity is going to hit them, or affect them.

AND YET, here we are, at the front end of such a situation!

You know, if you’re watching this right now and you live in, or around the Cumberland County area, you and I should really take a long, hard look at how quickly our lives can be changed in a very short period of time!

This month alone, we have witnessed the devastating tornado that came through the Nashville area and crossed over into the Putnam County/Cookeville area, just up the road from our city.

This thing was a massive class 4 tornado with winds in excess of 175 mph and it dealt horrific damage to our brothers and sisters in the surrounding counties!

And it was unexpected and not predicted to happen!

AND THEN, in this same month, we are now watching as a pandemic viral disease is spreading around the world and affecting million, upon millions of lives.......YOUR AND MINE INCLUDED!

Did any of us see either of these two situations coming? Were we prepared for what has happened and for what is happening right now?

Let me ask you this. If in any emergency situation, similar to what I just mentioned, people were given specific warnings and were told of how things were going to be, IN DETAIL, and with certainty, do you think that maybe some of the outcomes might turn out a little different?!

Would you have made any changes in your lives and in your homes to alter the course of events and the repercussions that would come, if you had been warned of what was going to happen in an emergency situation?

Even if you were not told exact dates, but just that it was definitely going to happen and that “this” was going to be the impact and the outcome, would you have done some things differently to prepare?

ABSOLUTELY! I think that we all can say, a definite “YES” to that question, right?!!

Well listen to me church and listen to me good. We are heading into a time and season that was most definitely forewarned and told of what was coming!

ARE YOU PREPARED?!

Turn with me in your Bibles right now, to the gospel of and we will begin reading in this chapter. (Now, you can also cross reference this same teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus, in the gospels of Mark chapter 13, as well as Luke chapter 21). I want you pay very close attention to what Jesus is warning us about in these passages and then apply this teaching, these warnings that He is giving to us, to where we are RIGHT NOW in our lives!

In the opening of , we find the disciples of Jesus mentioning to Him about the beautiful aspects of the architecture of the temple structures. To this, Jesus tells His disciples that a time is coming when not one stone of them temple would be left standing upon another, but that the whole thing would be destroyed.

He didn’t tell them when, but just that it was going to happen. For this very reason, Jesus wept, as He was making His triumphant entry into the city days earlier, as we read of in , where Jesus cried out, “They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”

Which ,we know, historically, this very thing that Jesus declared would happen to Jerusalem and to the temple, did in fact happen in 70 AD under they Roman rule!

World History keeps validating and proving that Biblical prophecy was spot on accurate and continues to be so and is even unfolding before our very eyes right now!

Later, after Jesus made this statement to His disciples about the temple, they came to Him and asked Him, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what supernatural sign should we expect to signal your coming and the completion of this age?”

This is where we will pick up with our reading, in , will start off reading from the KJV for this passage,

Matthew 24:4–8 KJV 1900

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Now let me right out of the gait, go ahead and issue the warnings that Jesus makes to us within this chapter, at the beginning and especially at the closing of this chapter.

Jesus warned His disciples and He is warning us today, that we MUST stay close to Him and His words, so that we will not become deceived by those who will come in His name and try to deceive us and lead away from the TRUTH!

This has happened horrifically in the body of Christ over the last couple of decades and it will only continue to progress, as Paul warned us of in , “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”

So, Jesus as well as the epistles, warns us to NOT become deceived by false teachings and by false teachers and prophets and led away from the TRUTH of His gospel message! That is the first main warning He gives to us.

And then at the closing of this chapter, Jesus makes the other warning/plea to us, where He says, “Concerning that day and exact hour, no one knows when it will arrive, not even the angels of heaven—only the Father knows. For it will be exactly like it was in the days of Noah when the Son of Man appears. Before the flood, people lived their lives eating, drinking, marrying, and having children. They didn’t realize the end was near until Noah entered the ark, and then suddenly, the flood came and took them all away in judgment. It will happen the same way when the Son of Man appears.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. So always (everybody watching right now, say “ALWAYS”) be ready, alert, and prepared, because at an hour when you’re not expecting him, the Son of Man will come.”

We MUST be prepared; always alert and always watching for His now soon return!

MENTION ABOUT JESUS’ WARNINGS OF WARS AND NATION AGAINST NATION AND KINGDOM AGAINST KINGDOM (The word used for “nations” [ethnos] is where we get the word ethnic, and so it also has the understanding of ethnic/racial upheavals. The word “kingdoms” can be very broad and include nations and rulers, but also political factions and various alliances as well as other various factions and groups, all coming against one another........our current political system!) Churches against churches!

There have always been pestilences/diseases (The Black Plague alone killed some 75 million people in the 1300’s!), but the way that Jesus issues the warning is that these will be escalating in frequency, as will the prevalence of the wars, factions and disputes and apostasy due to false teachers!

Here is the thing guys, we, as Christians, are living in the most exciting time in the history of the world, because all of the signs and warnings that Jesus issued about His return are converging together, as He said they would. This pandemic that we are going through right now, is just one of the pestilences that He said would happen as well as all of the other world struggles and conflicts and natural disasters that are happening around us!

The point of this message and the thing that should really light the spiritual fire inside of each one of us, is that Jesus issued these warnings as signs that His return is getting close and that we should make every effort to be prepared for His glorious return!

Just like 9/11, where disaster struck and millions of people flocked into churches out of fear of the unknown and death and destruction!

So too, are people fearful of the unknown in this situation. WE, AS CHRISTIANS, SHOULD NOT BE FEARFUL, BUT RATHER REJOICING AND LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR LORD’S RETURN FOR HIS BRIDE!

If you live in fear when these things happen and increase in their occurences, then you will be like Job in the Bible, when he said, “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.”

and what I dread befalls me.

In other words, if you live in fear of what might happen, then it will eventually happen to you. You will be overtaken by it!

Look church, we have the perfect opportunity to begin to explain to the world, exactly what I am sharing with you this morning. A warning was given, that is already starting and will continue and that people need to be prepared and ALWAYS WATCHING for what happens next!

As Christians we need to be diligent in reading the Word and always ready to share with those around us in the stores and the markets, about the good news of our Lord’s return and of how those people can become pre-pared for His coming and not caught off guard, like as in “the days of Noah” that Jesus mentioned that it would be like!

We need to shine bright as the sun right now church and dispel the darkness of fear in the world around us, because we have nothing to fear. In fact, the Bible tells us that, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

And also that the perfect love of God has removed fear from us, because we are looking for an eternity with Jesus rather than one of destruction and separation from Him!

So, be encouraged church, take up the sword of the Spirit and stand firm in the Word of God, as the day of the Lord’s return is drawing very near and unfolding right now, before your very eyes! AMEN?!!!

ARE YOU PREPARED?!