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Spiritual Devastation!
Spirituality Reflections
by Pastor Roger Storms, Chandler Christian Church That is the only word that can describe it! Devastation of a Biblical proportion! Thousands dead, tens of thousands homeless, billions of dollars worth of damage and the continued threat of nuclear devastation. Here in our homes, in our communities it is hard to even fathom.
So what do we do? How do we respond? Well, there are several answers.
First: PRAY! More can be done after we pray, but nothing can be done until we pray! Prayer unleashes God’s power in the situation. Pray for the care of the hurting. Pray for God’s hand to begin minimizing continued destruction and damage.
Second: GIVE! You can send your gifts to Chandler Christian by check or online and clearly mark your contribution as: Japan Relief. We have established contact with the International Disaster Emergency Services (IDES), who are experts at getting the money to the needs as effi ciently and effectively as we have found. IDES works directly with missionaries that we know in the country to get the money directly to the needs. You can be sure that 100 percent of your generosity will go to the need without handling fees or delays.
Third: BE WISE! There are many in your circles of
infl uence that are not going to be able to understand this tragedy or, worse yet, blame God for it! If you can
help them make sense of it, you have opened a door to share Christ’s love with them.
Let me see if I can help with some possible Q & A’s: Why did this happen?
We live in a world that is falling apart. You can blame mankind and pollution. You can blame global warming. But the fact is, the cause of the earth’s deterioration is sin – we live in a fallen world – where good/bad things happen to good/bad people. The Apostle Paul writes, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Romans 8:19-21 (New International Version). So, natural disasters happen and will continue until the Second Coming of Christ!
Did God cause this to happen?
A: Yes and no. Because God is the creator, He created a world where this could happen. But, it doesn’t mean that God caused the destruction. Jesus speaks of a calamity in His day and time in Luke 13:3- 5 . Evidently people were building a tower and it fell
over and killed 18 of them. Jesus pointed out that God didn’t cause it to happen because of their sin. It just happened! However, it comes as a warning to all that if calamity does happen we need to be eternally prepared!
What good could ever come out of something so tragic?
Simply stated, “A Wake Up Call!” Jesus in Matthew 24 & 25 and John in the book of Revelation indicate that God allows such things as a warning of the upcoming day of the Lord – or judgment day. Jesus says, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:42 (NIV). And, John adds the words of Christ, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” Rev. 3:11 (NIV). In Japan, only about 1 percent call themselves “Christians.” My prayer is that many will begin to look to their eternal hope as a result of this tragedy and fi nd Jesus as Savior and Lord.
I hope this may answer some of your or others questions and allow you to open the door for further discussion about Jesus. Praying for you and Japan!
Chandler Christian Church is located at 1825 S. Alma School Rd. in Chandler. For more information, visit
www.chandlercc.org.
March 19 - April 1, 2011 67
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