FROM THE ANNISTON STAR, Religion Roundtable, March 13, 2020:
QUESTION: “What is the most major concern facing you as a pastor?”
While I do not hold the office of “pastor” (cf. 1 Tim. 3:1ff; Tit. 1:5ff; Acts 20:28), I do claim the role of a gospel preacher (2 Tim. 4:2). My one, over-arching concern is for people who are lost in sin (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; Lk. 19:10; 2 Thes. 1:7-9).
I’m not primarily concerned about:
- CORONAVIRUS because, until the Lord comes, all people eventually get sick and die (1 Cor. 15:21-22; Heb. 9:27).
- SOCIALISM because God is in control our world and promises to provide me with all that I need (Job 38:41; Luke 12:24; Mat. 6:33).
- TERRORISM because even if I die at the hands of a murderer, I still have Jesus’s guarantee of life eternal (Mat. 10:28; Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 2:17), and I’m certain He’ll know how to deal with an evil-doer (Rom. 12:19).
- GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION because God has been using wicked rulers for millennia, and He raises up and removes kings to fulfill His divine purpose (Dan. 2:21, 44).
- CLIMATE CHANGE because God spoke the universe into existence (Gen. 1-2), He makes the sun rise and fall (Mat. 5:45), and He currently upholds the earth by His Word (Col. 1:16-17).
- MEDICAL COSTS because my body will eventually return to dust (Gen. 3:19; Job 20:11; Eccl. 12:7).
- CRIME because Scripture tells me evil men will grow worse and worse (2 Tim. 3:13).
- POLLUTION because the earth belongs to God and one day He’s going to burn it up any way (2 Pet. 3:10).
Jesus asked, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul…” (Mat. 16:26)? His main concern is my main concern.
INCARNATE 