Rape, Murder, Corona Virus: Is God in Control?
How should Christians ‘feel’ when dealing with all the pain and disaster that planet earth is dumping on us? Let’s talk about our emotions and how they tie into our faith.
Every second of every day Christians are faced with death, disease, murder, and all sorts of evil.
Is it okay to worry about these things? Does it somehow negate our faith?
Was Jesus anxious when He was heading to the cross and asked God to ‘let this cup pass from me’. What about when he was sweating blood?
Was Peter (whom Jesus call ‘’ the ROCK”) afraid when he walked out of the boat and began to sink after doubting?
Yes, God IS in control, but our emotions do not negate our faith. Emotions are not the absence of faith.
God has never promised us physical healing or being able to fully avoid the evil actions of others. Generally speaking, fear, stress, and anxiety are not a result doubting God’s being in control. Fear is usually doubting the actions of evil men who abuse their free will, disease, and other temporary problems found in a broken world.
In this short video we will talk about our emotions and responses resulting from all the pain the world hits us with.
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
