Live The Great

What a wild ride these past few weeks! A serious economic crisis coupled with an important time of national elections has caused many people to emotionally hyperventilate. A couple of times in the past few weeks I have mentioned in preaching that we should live our lives by faith, not fear. With this in mind, I decided to modify something I posted on my blog on September 25 when all this financial craziness was getting cranked up. I was thinking of a famous quotation by Franklin Delano Roosevelt saying, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This statement was part of his first inaugural address in 1933 in response to the very depth of the Great Depression. Reading this again, I was amazed at how appropriate many of his words are even today. Here’s a sampling from the speech.

I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impel. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.

In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.

Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply. Primarily this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind’s goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.

Eliminating Fear from our Personal Lives

There is a great verse that I have mentioned several times lately that directly deals with the issue of fear in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1John 4:1

Here are some items you might want to consider to be certain that your life is driven by faith, not fear:

• Mentally and prayerfully go through our KCBT pathway to maturity. Are you connected to God and the church? Are you directed in your spiritual growth? Are you getting perfected in God’s plan for your life? If not, take the necessary steps to continue your growth toward spiritual maturity. A life driven by fear is a life that has not yet reached an acceptable level of spiritual maturity.
• This is a time to be working toward eliminating debt, not a time to be increasing your debt. Need help? The Dave Ramsey class is offered on a regular basis on Sunday mornings.
• In times of financial uncertainty, mature believers express their maturity through faithfulness in giving, not by selfishly withdrawing and hoarding.
• Plan to celebrate a real Thanksgiving this month, giving thanks to God for all the bountiful blessings he provides. There is a great correlation between a thankful spirit and a giving spirit, just as there is between a fearful spirit and an immature spirit.

Eliminating Fear from our Church Life

The current economic challenges have caused many to wonder and ask about whether we will go ahead with our campus expansion plans. That’s a great question and one that any responsible person would at least entertain. Upon prayerful reflection, there are some solid reasons why we are convinced that this is the moment to press forward in faith:

• This is a decision God led us to make in a time of prosperity, and one our leadership has embraced believing that this was the clear direction of God and consistent with his truth. When God led us to make this decision, he certainly knew of the coming economic down-swing, even if we did not. A decision to turn back now would be one of fear, not faith. From the beginning we have known that any decision of this magnitude would be tested.
• We have complete confidence in the collective wisdom of our board, both in their knowledge of business and economics as well as their godliness. Our leadership team stands together united in our determination to trust God.
• There are several practical reasons that suggest this may be a wonderful time to proceed with this project, including historically low interest rates, availability and willingness of contractors to work for very reasonable and competitive rates and other factors. Jeff Cox explained this well to our deacons recently.
• Over the past several years, our leadership has been very conservative and frugal, resulting in our church being in the very best position possible to take on a challenge of this nature. Easy? No. Doable? Yes!
• The spiritual and practical necessities for space that prompted us to seek God’s will about this expansion in the first place are just as relevant now, and more so, than when we began.

So, we are excited about the future! If we will all just do what God requires of us in our regular tithes and offerings, we will soon break ground and be on our way. Originally, we hoped to break ground this fall, but it is shaping up for early next year, probably toward the end of February. As I am sure you understand, large projects depend on the coordination of many different people and entities, and it is very difficult to project such dates with great certainty far ahead of time. Thanks for your prayerful support!

One final note – national elections are always a crazy time with fears and emotions stirred by media, campaign advertising and everything else. Read the first few verses of Romans 13 and rest assured in God’s sovereignty. Then, exercise your right and responsibility to vote. Even though I am currently out of the country, I took care of this before I left. No matter whether your favorite candidate wins or not, God will still be in control of our country, our states, counties and cities the day after the election. As followers of Jesus, we will submit to and respect accordingly those whom God places in positions of authority.

Jeff Adams is the Senior Pastor at KCBT
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