In The News

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I cast my burdens on You, Lord, for you will support, or sustain, me; You will never allow me – one of Your righteous children – to be shaken. Psalm 55:22 LV

In the 1964 movie Goldfinger, British Secret Service agent, James Bond, 007, is strapped to a laboratory table. A high-powered industrial laser is cutting a seam in the stand, and it’s moving slowly up the center of the platform between Mr. Bond’s two legs. Concerned he’ll soon be split in two, Bond, played by Sean Connery, says to Auric Goldfinger as he makes his way out of the room, “Do you expect me to talk?”
Stopping his exit, the villain, played by Gert Fröbe, turns and replies, “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die! There is nothing you can talk to me about that I don’t already know.”
There were many memorable lines spoken by 007 through the series of movies featuring the not so undercover agent who always had time to be under covers. Most Bond aficionados know that the spy always ordered his Vodka martini this way: “Shaken, not stirred.” Shaking an alcoholic drink containing ice makes it weaker, as more water melts into the solution.
At the present time, an invisible villain is spreading across the world reeking physical, emotional and economic havoc as it does what viruses do – weaken their hosts. Millions have been infected, and hundreds of thousands have died worldwide. Social distancing and the closing of schools, businesses, sporting events, musical concerts, and even church services has been ordered by authorities in most countries. The goal of all these dire measures was to flatten the curve – make it harder for the virus to spread and slow its geometric creep. Now, as global leaders prepare to reopen their economies, there are fears that the virus will spike again and kill more of the vulnerable. Many health care experts expect more people to die in a surge, so if the death rate does swell again after people go back to work and students go back to school, many people, already anticipating the worst, will be shaken to their core.
For Christians, fear of death still lingers in the back of our minds, but for those who have drunk deeply from God’s word and been filled with His Spirit, the fear is not paramount. Actually, during this time of world stress, Christians are being stirred – not shaken – by the Holy Spirit to shake a dying world with His truth. For example, Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical ministry under the leadership of Franklin Graham, set up a field hospital in Central Park to help care for those infected with the Wuhan Woe. Agape Flights continues its winged mercy flights delivering food and medical equipment, like sterilizers, and medicines to the Caribbean from Venice, Florida. Local Christians are shopping for elderly neighbors, for the aged are most vulnerable to the Coronavirus and its life-threatening effects. Church staffs have scrambled to stream daily messages and weekly worship services to encourage their congregations and give them ideas for helping those in their communities. Some have been moved to give financially to ministries and organizations that are doing the work they cannot. The opportunities are endless.
So, God is not silent during this time. His people – the church – are His mouth, hands, feet, and His heart as they take His message of the Good News of Jesus Christ, along with food and other necessities, to those in need. This viral fear has softened the hearts of many who used to think there was nothing a Christian could say that they already didn’t know or even wanted to know about God. But the pandemic has changed everything, from what we do to what we think. May we share the Good News, and may God continue to change hearts with His unfailing love.

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