Stand Up for Jesus

Newsletter article for February 2002

© 2002 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Jesus said, “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8-9)

It is in times of crisis that it is important to stand up and be counted for what you truly believe in. Unfortunately there more than enough crises to go around. There are always several international crises to choose from, although they don’t always impact us directly. There are national, state, and local problems which often affect us negatively. There are family problems, work problems, social problems, and even personal problems which cause us concern and possibly worry.

Jesus tells us several times in Matthew 6, “Do not worry.” God, our Father, provides us with all we need, so we are always well taken care of, and we don’t need to worry about anything. This lack of worry, however, only comes from a strong faith that trusts that God will take care of us and provide for all our needs. This faith also helps us to accept the fact that although God always provides for our needs, He may not always provide for our wants and desires.

St. Timothy has had to deal with several situations lately which might be cause for worry. With the public school system moving toward a chaotic-like state, it has decreased our school enrollment the past couple years. Our congregation has supported the school (as it should), but our current resources are quite limited. Our financial troubles have forced us to determine what is most important for us to be doing, and cutting back on things that, while still important, are not vital to the operation of the Church and School. We have been forced to examine our priorities, but isn’t that just like human nature — people don’t change their priorities until they have no other choice (and sometimes, not even then).

Well, we are human, but with all our troubles we can take comfort in a couple of things. First, we are still God’s people, and Jesus tells us “Do not worry” and “Trust in Me.” As long as we listen to Jesus and put Him first in what we do, then He will bless us. Along the way we may have to learn some hard lessons, but in the end we will be better for them. We have learned, for example, that Christian churches probably ought not to get involved in raffles, but instead should focus on the Bible verse at the top of this page and concentrate on proclaiming Christ as Lord.

Second, it may sound strange, but we can take comfort in our financial troubles. It is not a pleasure by any means to struggle to pay bills, or to lay-off staff, but we can be thankful to God that our troubles are only financial. There are troubles that are much worse. Despite our troubles we still belong to God. We have pulled together to prayerfully resolve our problems, while at the same time we have remembered that Christ wants us to confess Him alone as Lord, and that to everyone who does this, He will also claim as His children. This is a wonderful blessing. There are many churches which are much better off than us financially, but are beset by troubles which are much more difficult to overcome. Our troubles are not small, but in many ways they have drawn us closer together, and made us rely more on God for help and direction. It is my prayer that we will work even harder to remain faithful to Christ and do the work of God’s people, which is, above all, to share the Gospel with those who don’t know Christ, and make disciples through baptizing and teaching God’s Word.

The Will of God is always best and shall be done forever;
And they who trust in Him are blest, He will forsake them never.
He helps indeed in time of need, He chastens with forbearing;
They who depend on God, their friend, shall not be left despairing.
“The Will of God is Always Best” The Lutheran Hymnal #517