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Counsel for the Heart: Contentment (Phil. 4:11-13)

April 30, 2020 by Joe Kappel

One of the brothers from church that I miss is John McClellan Sr. Since he and I work at the church building together I often see him when I start work in the morning. Each time I ask, “How are you, John?” he sincerely answers, “Better than I deserve!”

John reminds me each time that it’s a blessing from God to be content.

Contentment is recognizing, through good times and bad, that God is dealing with us not according to what we deserve but according to His grace.

The Apostle Paul wrote about that in Philippians 4:11-13 about contentment and how we can regard whatever comes our way each day as “better than we deserve.”

Philippians 4:11–13

[11] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (ESV)

Getting to the Heart

The Apostle Paul wrote from prison, “Not that I am speaking of being in need.” Can you imagine being in prison and unjustly treated yet saying you don’t need anything! Sometimes it seems like Paul writes from the locker room of Major League Christianity while I am still playing on faith’s elementary playgrounds.

I’ve been challenged in this area of contentment, especially during this time of extended quarantine. Typically my lack of contentment is expressed in the opposite of Paul’s statement: “If I could only have ______ I’d be happier,” or “By now I should have ______ if it wasn’t for this virus!”

Can you relate?

Since I wrote about fear earlier this week, I’ve recognized that we experience fear in two key  ways: fear of losing what we have and fear of getting what we don’t want. Both those fears are preoccupied with the future, living in the land of “What-ifs?” and losing out on the present blessings that dominate the Christian’s life thanks to the sustaining grace of God.

I will write more about practical ways to cultivate contentment tomorrow on Counsel for the Heart, but for today let me suggest a couple of reasons why our current circumstances are “better than we deserve.”

First, think of what you and I really do deserve. Honestly friends, it’s hell. Each day we wake up not in that fiery place of punishment and separation from God is a gift of grace. I have another friend who often prays, “Father, thank you for this unpromised day.” It’s true: this day was not promised to me, and I didn’t wake up this morning entitled to blessings and favor because of who I am. By myself, I’m only a sinner separated from God, and I deserve the punishment of hell. That’s one reason we are doing “better than we deserve” today.

Second, think of the Lord Jesus. He was not content to leave us in that lost and terrible state. He saw our true need and entered this world to save all those who put their hope in Him and see in Him their truest need. I know that’s how the imprisoned Paul could say, “not that I am speaking of being in need.” Paul focused his mind and heart on Jesus Christ. Actually, the whole point of Paul’s life was looking to Jesus for what He wanted of Paul that day and tackling that day’s challenge in the power of Jesus Christ.

Let’s talk it over:

  • How would you complete the following statement? – “My life would be better right now if I had ___________.” Or “My life would be better right now if I didn’t have to deal with ___________.”
  • In addition to the two reasons listed above to cultivate contentment, what other reasons can you think of to help you be content and “not speak of being in need”?

Prayer:

Almighty Father, all around and within us are enticements to want more and to be dissatisfied with our current situation in life. Forgive us, Lord. You have redeemed us to be about Your business in this life in this today of either abounding or being brought low. Strengthen us to live with great contentment in Your grace, to remember we’ve been delivered from Hell, and to rejoice this day in Your Son! Help us Lord, and thank You. Amen.

Worship in Song:

It is Well With My Soul

The link above is unique today. Clicking it will take you to a Nashville News source with a video featuring Nashvillian singers singing “It is Well With My Soul” as a choir… over their cell phones. It’s a witness to the praise that can still offered to the Lord when we can’t be where we want or even have the worship we need. It is still well with our souls.

Memory Passage for this Week:

____________ 13:5–6

[5] ____ your ___ _____ from ____ of ______, and be ______ with what you _____, for he has said, “I will _____ _____ you nor ______ you.” [6] So we can ________ say,

“The ______ is my _______;
I will not _______;
what can ____ do to me?” (ESV)

Filed Under: Counsel for the Heart Tagged With: contentment, covid19, fear, It is well with my soul, quarantine

Local Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 5

April 21, 2020 by Joe Kappel

Today’s perspective comes from Jared Hallford, a student at West High School. Jared shares that purpose and mission can come out of the boredom of quarantine when we recognize God is in control.

____________________________________________

Life during quarantine for teens, or at least for me, has been pretty dull. For the most part, the other teens and I have been stuck at home, just like everyone else. This has led to many of us forming some new habits or participating in random games on social media. I, for example, did a couple of riddles on Instagram where if I got it wrong I had to post it on my story, and my followers would hopefully then respond and act accordingly. However, when it comes to entertainment, it’s mostly limited to whatever we can do on our phones, laptops, or whatever show we are binging on Netflix. Several of us, myself included, have taken to doing daily workouts. For the most part it’s nothing crazy, but enough to keep in shape. On the less fun side though, we are having to take classes online via the Zoom app, or doing assignments that have been posted online by our teachers. I find this quite boring, and most teens will probably agree. So all in all, it’s honestly not that different from everyone else’s lives, except that we’re spending more time on our phones than our parents or the older members of our family.

One of the areas in which us teens are able to grow spiritually is by the amount of time they spend in the Word, talking to God every day. Speaking from experience, a lot of teens, although they might try to live by Christian principles every day, do not read the Word every day, and instead prioritize time for school, sports, or something else. But now, with the inability to leave the house, there is plenty of time in the day to find some for God. Another area where teens can improve in their walk in the faith is by trying to get rid of their worldly obsessions and non-Christian habits. I recognize that it’s hard, and truth be told I haven’t been doing the best job at these, but that’s why it’s a way to grow, and not a continued habit.

One of the ways that I, and many of my friends, are being challenged is by not being able to leave the house. Most teens enjoy the ability to leave the house and go out and see their friends, and even though we might not always do that, having the choice is what makes the difference. But now we are all stuck in our homes, same as everyone else, with the only interactions being with our family members, who are all sick of each other. Due to this, I have had a few extended texting conversations with some friends of mine who are worried or upset by the situation and the resulting regulations. My mindset is that the situation is what it is, and that we teens, and everyone else, should just be patient and trust God that this epidemic will be over soon. That actually leads into the next way that we are being challenged, which is that teens, or at least me, are beginning to have strain put on my faith due to everything that is happening, and how it doesn’t make sense to me. Personally, I can’t see the big picture of His plan, but I have been lucky enough to see some of the small ones. I (or my family, that is) have been one of the lucky few volunteers who were asked to help make and deliver food boxes to those in need. The willingness to serve that I’ve seen out of everyone has been a reassurance that God is still working amidst the current crisis, and that he is still in control.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: God, God's Word, quarantine, social media, teens, West High School

Local Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 4

April 20, 2020 by Joe Kappel

This week we’re privileged to hear from church members inside their homes on how life has changed and how Jesus Christ has been faithful. Today we hear from Campbell Miller, a 10th grade student at Bearden High School. Her words remind me of the true value of knowing Jesus, no matter what my circumstance is.

________________________________________________

One month ago, everything in life was ‘normal’.

It is crazy to think that we are now in a moment in time where it is not okay to go to school, go to church, go see friends, or even be around certain family members. The very things we enjoyed the most: sports, school, friends, eating out, shopping, going to movies, all of it, has been stripped away.

So, what do we have?  How can we remind ourselves that even though we seem to have lost so much we still have the Greatest Gift, Friend, and Savior? Jesus is the one thing that remains constant in our life. Hebrews 13:8 reads “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” He is just as faithful now as He has ever been. Jesus Christ is the same for all eternity. We still have the opportunity to meet with Him, spend time with Him, and worship Him.

When we have lost money in the stock market, He is our treasure.

When we are distanced from those closest to us, He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

When we have lost our happiness, He is our joy.

When we are fearful, He is our security.

Now is a time for believers to put to practice the faith they preach. God uses these trials to test and stretch our faith. Ask Him to show you where you are weak and where you lack faith. Trust Him to do His work in you.

As a teenager during this pandemic, it has been somewhat of a challenge to adjust to this new season of life. I am not used to any of this, specifically not being at school and not being around friends. I am not sixteen yet so I cannot drive. I am not a senior so I am not missing out on prom, or missing out on my last year of high school and possibly even graduation. I do not know what it is like for other teenagers going through this but I do know that I am not heavily impacted by this pandemic compared to others around me. One of the verses that I have really been focusing on during this whole process is Philippians 4:6-7:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

At times, I have been anxious and scared as to what is going to come next. This verse has helped me to remember that there is no need to worry about the way things are. The solution is to give the problems over to the Only One who can actually do something about them. Through this entire time of being quarantined, I have really taken the time to strengthen my relationship with Christ. There is no better time to do it than right now. With so many distractions in this world, as Christians we tend to stray away from Christ at times. I think Jesus has called us instead to be a light in a world of fear and darkness.

Campbell Miller

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: anxiety, High School, Jesus Christ, quarantine

Following the Resurrected King (Introduction)

April 14, 2020 by Joe Kappel

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is not just a one day event. Praise God for that!

Have you ever traced the activity of Jesus Christ during the 40 days prior to His ascension to Heaven?

I’ve not but have been challenged to as a follow up to my blog entries last week during Holy Week. The more I dig into the appearance passages, the more I see timeless encouragement for our current circumstances.

Sometimes these passages may seem like puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit together or a timeline that’s just too much trouble to fit into a semblance of order. But that really isn’t the case. As I’ve looked into the passages I can see the timeline, and I’ve gotten helpful backup from other sources. In this blog post I’ll list the order of those appearances and talk briefly about what we can learn from them in general. In subsequent articles I’ll resume a Bible study format to help each of us continue to follow the Lord Jesus.

Here’s the timeline that I offer for your consideration:1

  • Resurrection Sunday
    • Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)
    • The other Mary, Salome, Joanna and at least one other woman (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10)
    • Simon Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5)
    • Clopas and companion on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)
    • The eleven disciples minus Thomas (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25)
  • Eight+ Days after Resurrection
    • The eleven disciples including Thomas (John 19:26-29)
  • Over the Next Few Weeks
    • Seven disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-23)
    • Disciples and a large gathering at a mountain in Galilee (Matt. 28:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:6)
    • James (1 Cor. 15:7)
  • 40th Day
    • Disciples (possibly in Jerusalem before Jesus led them to the Mount of Olives, gave the Great Commission and ascended to Heaven – Luke 24:49-53; Acts 1:3-11)

Today, read what the Apostle Paul says about these appearances:

1 Corinthians 15:3–8

[3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. [6] Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. [7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. [8] Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (ESV)

What relevance do these things have for us?

First, Paul says these resurrection appearances are connected back to the Gospel message of our Lord Jesus. Jesus remained on earth for 40 days in order to encourage and empower His discouraged disciples. Those events confirmed the good news of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Death truly was defeated, the eternal life promised in the gospel was real, and hundreds of people could verify that Jesus is alive!

Second, think about the nature of these appearances. The disciples experienced a different kind of connection to Jesus than they had before His crucifixion. The disciples for one didn’t know when Jesus would appear, but when He did show up it turned their despair into glorious light and joy. Isn’t that a bit like life now? These resurrection appearances help us to see that even though it seems like we are alone down here on planet earth, we really are not. The Lord Jesus is always aware of what we face, and He comes to us in our need. The way He comes today is not the same as He did in those 40 days, but I can see how Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever still ministers to us in quarantine like He did then. When we feel like we’re at the end of our resources, we find that Jesus Christ comes again with His grace.

My parting encouragement today: Read these accounts. Seek the Lord Jesus and ask Him to reveal more of Himself to you. Praise Him that He is alive and at work in our days of quarantine, boredom and fears. Jesus is alive!

_________________________________

1) For a helpful article with an actual timeline of these events, see this article from Answers in Genesis.

Filed Under: Bible Study Tagged With: Easter, Jesus Christ, Jesus is alive, quarantine, resurrection, resurrection appearances

Global Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 7

March 31, 2020 by Joe Kappel

Recently I reached out to friends living in Beijing, China to ask about their experience so far through 10 weeks of quarantine in a city of 21 million. I learned much through the experience they shared, and I’m featuring their perspective in two parts today and tomorrow. Just a note: please remember to pray for China. Pray specifically that the gospel would prevail and reach many in these days. Whenever you hear about China in the media, would you commit to pray?

Perspective from China

To start with, share anything about yourself that would be helpful for us to know your general life and circumstances.

My family and I live in the university district of Beijing, quite near the centre, in an older residential compound with a high proportion of retired people. There are densely packed low-rise apartment blocks from the 1960s and 70s and high-rise blocks from the 2000s all squashed together. We have lived in this general area for almost ten years, studying Mandarin, teaching in universities, and doing postgraduate research into minority groups.

How long have you experienced the effect of the coronavirus in your location?

It was already extremely quiet in Beijing when the effects of the coronavirus began to impinge on us directly, because huge numbers of people had left the city for their hometowns, preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year with their extended families. So, initially, there wasn’t much to notice that was different. But by the end of the third week of January there was enough about it in the media that we had begun to pay more attention, and then our church abruptly suspended its meetings and moved online. My father was planning to visit us just after that, and his airline cancelled all flights to China the day before he was due to come out. That was a big blow. So, it’s now 10 weeks since we really felt anything directly, though we had read about it earlier in January.

If we believe general media reports, China currently has the coronavirus completely under control. Can you provide perspective on what you see on the ground where you live?

Here in Beijing it does seem completely under control. The numbers of patients have been pretty low here, well under a thousand, with only a few deaths in the city. We happened to need to visit two different hospitals for unrelated reasons after the lockdown had begun, and in neither hospital was there any sense of panic. On the contrary, they were practically deserted, as most people were clearly afraid to leave their homes for almost anything, and non-emergency medical procedures were being postponed.

For the last two weeks there has been a gradual increase in the numbers of people out and about, on foot or in vehicles, and in the number of restaurants re-opening. But most other places where people might gather indoors remain closed — schools, campuses, churches, mosques, cinemas, etc. Many people continue to be wary about coming out of their homes except for essential purchases; at the same time, we know of several folk who have returned to Beijing from their hometowns, endured a temporary self-isolation, and then rejoined Beijing life, albeit in this new restricted and cautious sense. Of course, no one can predict what will happen when restrictions are lifted further and the possibility of a new outbreak rears its head.

How have average Chinese citizens responded?

There are many different kinds of average Chinese! But they do have this in common — they all wear masks. That’s the one product that I noticed was briefly in short supply in supermarkets. Since mid-February, however, no shortages have been apparent. And we have never had the sense that any panic buying that might have been happening in the first few weeks ever led to any shelves being actually emptied in the shops.

Those who have to work in lower-paid sectors, especially bus drivers, security guards and the small shop-owners who we all depend on for daily food purchases, have just got on with working — of course, all wearing masks, and sometimes conducting their trade by passing items out through their doors, rather than allowing customers into their narrow shops. Many of those sorts of workers have been prevented from returning to their work in the big cities because they were stuck in their hometowns for Chinese New Year. But these small shops are increasingly opening up again on the streets around us. Delivery drivers and couriers have been doing a roaring trade, since a lot more retail purchasing has been done online in the last two months.

The mobile elderly, who are normally outdoors puttering around residential compounds, have kept this up to a certain degree, though in February and early March even they spent a lot more time inside, and some familiar faces in our neighbourhood have not emerged yet.

Middle class and white collar workers, who tend to have a higher degree of ‘modern anxiety’ even when there is no crisis, have tended to retreat into their high-rise apartments, which they can do relatively painlessly, especially if they are able to work online throughout the lockdown. There has definitely been a lot of fear here, and this has helped people to self-isolate. Even without heavy-handed pressure, lots of people are extremely willing to hide themselves away. We know some families who kept their children inside their apartment for around 8 weeks before finally daring to let them go outside for a walk.

What has been your experience through quarantine?

Praise the Lord we have never felt afraid, or in any real danger either from the virus or from any knock-on effects. Thankfully my teaching job moved online relatively easily, and although it’s much less satisfying for me and the students than proper classroom interaction, we can still have classes and I am still getting paid. At my university even the foreign teachers who are not able to work (because the government won’t allow them to conduct online classes from outside China) are being paid. So, we have benefitted from the ‘social buffers’ that the Chinese government has in place.

Sometimes, however, we have wondered if we were going stir crazy. At one point we had not had face-to-face social interaction with anyone for 22 straight days, and the only people we had seen, fleetingly, were a handful of shopkeepers, and the guards and local neighbourhood volunteers who were at the gates and entrances of our residential compound, checking temperatures and temporary passes.

We have read more news online than has probably been good for us, but as the virus spread we have prayed more for countries that we had never particularly paid much attention to. Our understanding of what counts as responsible citizenship has also gradually changed as new information has become available — we get the feeling that we are still more relaxed than most Chinese people, but more careful than most Westerners (or, at least, than most Westerners were until around a week ago). We have grown more persuaded of the need for serious measures to be taken, and have had to repent of our earlier rather careless attitude. As regards our personal attitude in the face of restrictions, we have, I hope, grown to be more wise and godly.

Most of all we have had to learn to be patient. Some of the rules over personal movement, delivery of packages and entry into other residential areas have been irrational. Thankfully (and also annoyingly) the rules are also enforced slightly flexibly, and change frequently. This can create a problem on Thursday that wasn’t there on Wednesday, and doesn’t seem to make any more sense than the previous rule.

Mandarin is quite a blunt language, especially when spoken by non-native speakers, and it is easy for us to sound angry and indeed to get angry with security guards or the neighbourhood volunteers (and it seems like it’s the naturally bossy and officious people who sign up for that job!) when faced with minor restrictions or hold-ups in our walking around. Entering the compound of the one family we have gone to visit in the last 6 weeks brings a new challenge almost every time we go there! Slowly, we are learning to be sanctified through this process, though it is frightening how close sin is lurking at the door at times of stress or inconvenience.

[End of Part 1. Please check the blog tomorrow for Part 2 where we’ll get perspective on how Chinese believers have responded to Covid-19 and lessons we can personalize from Chinese believers’ experience here in the U.S.A.]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beijing, China, Chinese New Year, community, covid-19, fear, isolation, Mandarin, media, meeting together, pandemic, Prayer, quarantine, repentance, Students, waiting

Daily Dose of Faith

March 26, 2020 by Joe Kappel

So many excellent resources are coming out each new day as we experience the effects of Covid-19 all around us. I want to round up as many of those as possible to ensure we each get a daily dose of biblical hope, faith and love in these fearful times.

Tabletalk Magazine

First up is Tabletalk Magazine from Ligonier ministries. In God’s providence, as Pastor Sam talked about last Sunday, the editors of Tabletalk’s monthly magazine planned for the March edition to focus on “Fear.” With articles like “Fear of a Changing World,” “Fear of Being Alone,” and “Fear of Dying,” this month’s edition of Tabletalk ministers practical spiritual care to fearful people. And it’s good to read every month, even subscribe to it. My wife and I have enjoyed this monthly magazine for about a year. Pastor Al Cage has benefited from it since 1995!

How to make the most of lockdown tips from Christians in Italy

Second link today features perspectives from a Christian family of 6 navigating the national lockdown in Italy. As the author notes, “We are God’s people in this city. We have the message of hope this city needs. We need to be engaging one another, encouraging one another, and preparing one another to be the testimony God has called us to be in this storm. This lockdown has highlighted the importance of community for us all.”

Right Now Media

Finally, why not right now take advantage of Rightnow Media? Rightnow Media is one of the leading ministries featuring biblical teaching and edifying media through videos that can be played on your home Roku, smartphone or personal computer or tablet. Best of all, it’s a ministry offered for free from West Park Baptist Church! Click to sign up today.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: community, coronavirus, covid19, faith, fear, isolation, love, pandemic, quarantine, Right Now Media, TableTalk

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