Special Broadcast with Chip Ingram

What's it look like be a Christian who lives like a Christian. In the midst the pandemic we overcome our fear bolster our faith and really love the people around us. That's today on Living on the Edge stay with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge. I'm Jerry McCauley and I'm responsible for product development and communications are Living on the Edge and they were kinda going off script because well were all experiencing circumstances that I can truthfully say the world has never ever experienced.

And if you joined us today expecting to hear the next message and are how to change for the better series.

I want you to know that it still can be heard on the Chip Ingram app Living on the Edge podcast or a website LivingontheEdge.org but today we just want to pause. We want to respond to where we are and ship wants to bring some truth and some encouragement to you right where you are today. Thanks for joining me today.

Jerry we like everyone here.

We are really really concerned about what's happening. It seems that unit with every presidential report the news cycle, you know, the virus grows, fear, amounts, and you know living in California where were on the very front end of this and that unit the county that I live in half of all the people that are infected live in our county. In all of California and so we really wanted the positive to encourage people to help them deal with the what was going on in their life and actually we did a survey where they told us we you please address these three issues so that will interrupt our program. We really want to help you get straight cioppino with our mission being helping Christians live by Christians every day in every way everywhere, to the glory of God and for the good of all mankind. This is one of those every day, every way everywhere, and we really need help. We need perspective. I'm so glad that we had so many of our listeners help us with that survey in your the first question we asked them was what's the most critical emotional issue that we as Living on the Edge need to address a note they said overwhelmingly.

Everyone responded it's fear. Yes, the trip where you how are you doing with that that issue for yourself. You will I don't struggle with fear because I'm so spiritual, Jerry. I don't have any problems that affect core stability may forgive a little bit of levity but it's been I mean I was in the grocery store last night and literally people were not only standing apart. You thought we were all at a funeral. It was so sober and it is serious, but I don't want to lose my sense of humor, of course, like everyone else. You know my initial thought was I don't think this is going be all that bad unit started in China.

It was interesting that two years ago you and I were there is Rehan and teaching and employing the sovereignty of God and one of things I want to remind people of his God really is in control and adjust the thought came to me you know we talked about the things we've had to do and had the opportunity to do in China in Wuhan was one of our most strategic places where we got to teach and supply people with resources to understand the real God. So on the one hand I lean back and think, oh Lord, if you knew that if you knew what was going to happen there.

I know that you know everything is happening here and you can help us but yet initially I can't say that I I had some overwhelming sense of fear. I really do trust in God's sovereignty and his provision but but deep concern and you know, especially as people that are older and with health issues and then as we saw it, multiply, and then pretty soon it went from. While this is this isn't something that's just little.

This is big. And then when it went throughout Europe and then what we see today. What I realized was I'm interacting with people that don't have my worldview they they don't have the assurance that no matter what I'm going to be with Christ that God is in control. So fear is a really big issue and I think with some really want to dress and help people with, you know, I think the seams from each of I was I was at Costco this weekend and we truly needed for the people who actually needed toilet paper and needed paper towels. It wasn't a hoarding situation and when we did weeds went through the store and then all of a sudden I found myself in line literally at the back of the store.

While this line was at least 100 carts deep. I'm not a very anxious person in generally tend to be the cup is half full kind of optimistic point of view and I there was a pit in my stomach like have a stomach ache now due to Cosco. I think more though for me. You know what are some practical things that you would suggest that we can do when I have that pain in my stomach when I realize I have an opportunity to encourage the people around me.

I wanted to add value to the lease the cart in front of me in the car behind me and so for a kind of what you just did.

I did bring a little bit a levity to the conversation. What are some practical specific things that you would suggest that even I could do in the middle of that. Okay. My stomach hurts because I feel I think it was because I felt out of control and was also because I was watching culture. Even people that I love in my city I'm in Colorado Springs here. I was watching people panic and it's an uncomfortable position to be in where, how do I help how do I how can I be the salt and light. How can I just be an encouraging neighbor. What would you tell me you noted you in the next the next chance I have. Well, I may have not felt overwhelming sense of fear and part of that is because I've been through some pretty fearful times before my wife and I a winter cancer. We've been through some times where we couldn't pay the bills. We been through some times where what we did is we focused and claim God's promise in the midst of those things, and renewed our mind and said, Lord, even though I can't see.

And even though my emotions are screaming.

Here's the two questions I always ask myself, and I time to a promise Jerry number one is where's my focus where's my focus and you know it's it's some of the most classic Bible stories, but Peter's walking on the water and we know the story that I here's the application. Your eyes are on the Lord, are there on the waves and if your eyes are on the Lord, he promises the peace of God that surpasses understanding and and again. Sometimes that means you know you just take one verse just one verse casting all your care upon him because he cares for you. That's first Peter 57 and every moment that it comes up a what about this or what about my parents were what if there's on the food or what if I don't have a job or one of the economy tanks are what if you know you are in a situation I mean 24 hours ago when your daughter was coming home from Ireland from a mission and is she going to get here and she happened to make it on the very last plane and then you picked her up and now she's quarantine but it's in the middle of that where you claim the promise of God, and that's why it's so important to have.

I think a few key passages memorized and even earlier this week. You know Isaiah 4110 fear none for I am with you.

Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you I will uphold you with my victorious right hand and so I think it's that focus and sometimes it it's it you have to be pedantic. You write it on the card you put it on the coffee table you put on the refrigerator you you make it your new screensaver. Your mind is going to go somewhere and that's why to I think it's also going to be very important for people to be informed, but not inundated by the news. Yeah, you know, I think there's so many there so many competing values in all of our minds right now. You know, I've got three teenagers at home and so were navigating. How do we keep them focused on education because they're doing is online learning sort of a thing, because the schools are all closed. I'm in a unique situation right have we have three generations in our home, so my parents live with with us and so even bringing my daughter home from Ireland, which is like a risk you know it's a level III risk and then having her interact with my folks are in their mid-70s. There considered vulnerable right because of their age. So I think for me it was really hard for me to even tend to my own emotions. Like how my really feeling because I was in this air traffic control not to be punished, but I was like okay I gotta get her home from the airport. I got a solve for how I keep my parents safe and at the same time I can't disregard my other two daughters and my wife, and their needs and so I think this is really great is a really great thing. This focus word because in the middle of it. I didn't ever doubt that God was good. I did not because that's that's where the bedrock of who who I am and how I see him, but I do think that that the God being control part that's really easy for that to get blurry and for that to get clouded when all I'm doing is solving problems, silly things like getting toilet paper for my family, or when I'm trying to solve logistics with. How do I keep these people safe and healthy and away from this, but also I think my quiet time doesn't become priority when I'm trying to solve problems when I'm trying to get supplies and also went everywhere I turn. Whether it social media or if it's the news and here's the deal is 24 news channels are danger zone for me. I got so susceptible to you chip you talk about the streams that flow into our hearts, and you talk about Romans 12 to and kind of what fills our minds and I really do think that right now. This focus concept lease for Jerry McCauley for this guy.

I have to be so careful what I allow into my mind not to be so thoughtful about what I'm really meditating on what I'm really focusing on and Isaiah 4110 verse you have for me that's one of those victory march kind of messes to to to have in my head and to have in my heart that I think we have to navigate this because early on there so much new information than what fear does it causes us to get inwardly focused it cause us to think about ourselves. It creates panic.

It it creates this mentality.

This this victim mentality and this one about us and scarcity. There won't be enough so I gotta take care of me and then you see people act in ways that are very unkind and very unchristian.

And so I think number one is to say your personal time with God has got to be one of the biggest priorities in and cannot just say this kindly, you're not taking any kids to sports Haverford for where were at right now you're not gonna watch the NCAA. There's no good basketball or football games on people are pulling out the oldest movies that you know and I think the danger in terms of focus Jerry is it people either bench on Netflix or beyond social media all the time instead of saying you know something. How many of us have said all Lord, if I just had more time, I really have long to cultivate a deep relationship with you. I want to learn to pray at a new level. I would love to learn to not just here, podcast, or what other people say that but learn to get into the Scriptures in a way that you would speak to me with great power I Lord I would. I wish we could eat more together as a family and sit around the table and have deep relationships and what I would say is God in his providence. The evil is the evil of death, but God always wants to take bad things, and bring about good through them and we are Living on the Edge right now we want to help people with their focus, we want to help people kind. It do I would call it a great judo move. If you will. You know we got all this negative coming in at us and you know Genesis 5020. It was when Joseph was speaking to his brothers. And you know he went through all that and they betrayed him and they lied about him, and they tried to kill him, but he had this perspective and that's what that's what focus on God does, he says. As for you, you meant it for evil but God meant it for good to bring about this present result to keep many people alive in our dream and the reason were pausing in a broadcast is to say to you personally. We want to help you shift your focus.

We want to take some of the most negative experiences and kids at home and school.

When fear and what about money and enjoying with you in the days ahead and say let's trust God. Let's go deep with him. Let's go deep with one another. I love that shift from the fear to the positives to the positive is God's making room in our lives for its it's incredible chip, you know, the second question that we asked our listeners was what's the most critical spiritual issue that we Living on the Edge need to address. And here's their answer. Everyone overwhelmingly again said faith yet, so how do we help people grow in faith. In this season. Chip what we know from Scripture is that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

We know that God has already given us second Peter chapter 1 everything we need.

Think of it he's already given us everything we need for life and godliness. So for all of life. He's given it to us and to become the kind of people he wants us to be. He's given to us and then it says through his precious promises and so here's what I want to say to people and you know, for those of you been listening for a long time. I don't mean this is a broken record, I mean this is a refreshing reminder. You can listen to podcasts you can watch a video. You can read a book by a good Christian author and I think all of that is very, very, very important, but what I want you to know is that a deep faith isn't birthed by you getting the processed food of someone else. A deep faith, the conic convictions and and I can say this I don't mean this arrogantly at all part of the absolute peace I have and I visited some people and gone to some places and was ready to get on a plane to do some things is if I would die today. I am 100% certain I would be ushered into the presence of God. That's not because I'm a wonderful person. That's because over time I've personally digested in God's word personally and the Holy Spirit is taken his word and he sealed it in my heart in such a way. I actually believe it. I don't believe what some other great teacher says about God.

I believe God because he spoke to me and so Jerry I think this may be one of the greatest opportunities may be in all of some people's lifetime that we could help them not just get good teaching.

That's certainly important, but where we can teach them to feed themselves and in fact we we had a number of meetings in the last couple days that went long as we as a team prayed and said Lord will do whatever it will change every broadcast. If you want us to will do something different on social media. We will do what ever you want us to do and it's really been pretty exciting. God's given us a plan and a way that we could kind of reach. In to everyone at the Living on the Edge family and help them actually learn how you know I hear people say no one's ever discipled Maple. Here's the offer if you're open to it.

I will okay I'll do with you what that bricklayer did with me.

I will take a little time beginning next week and I'll help you get into God's word in bite-size chunks and learn to talk to him in ways that he will actually speak to you and and don't you know there's no silver bullets, there's going to be a process but working to do something together. If you want to and then we'll do some things that help you with your family in a way that we want to help you connect deeply with God deeply with your family and then deeply with your friends in a way that keeps that interaction going and maybe Jerry, maybe you could just share a little bit about what that's can look like and what were going to call it and and just here. Here's the deal. I can't leave my house. Or at least I can't know I have a an office here where there's no other people around and MS probably get a lead for the next three or four weeks, maybe more, and it's pretty intense here in California and it seems to be moving eastward. I'm praying, it's gonna stop stop stop but I want you to know that I want to use this time that if you and I could sit down you and me personally with a couple coffee in an open Bible and you would look at me as a chip. You know which you help me learn to open the Bible and understand it in a way where God would whisper to me and give me direction in and give me faith because the kind of faith that it will allow you to go through what ever you face when Everett comes forever not just through this crisis. It comes from that kind of process and I'm actually kind of excited about get the opportunity do it.

Jerry, I think it's so kind of you chip you know we we look at you as our spiritual leader not only here live on the edge, but all of our audience looks at you as our spiritual leader and were so thankful for the confidence that you have because of the way that you study the Bible because this is your own, you're not you, not again prescribing something else you're saying it's God's word, and so think you first for being so willing to step into the gap.

One of the things you mentioned that you and I were in Wuhan. One of the things that is etched in my memory is the level of faith that our Chinese brothers and sisters have and one of the most remarkable things I've ever seen in my life is, you know, thousands of Chinese people standing and reading the Bible out loud together in their trips. Gathering that's how they start their churches there and they treasure the word of God it a whole different level than I've ever seen and it's because it's hard to come by, you know, and so I'm reminded by that and I'm so encouraged and excited about this opportunity we have to help people Living on the Edge internally, we call it low-tech because Living on the Edge is sometimes too long to say that only a few long to handwrite and often too long to type out so we do LO TE Living on the Edge so we want to help you guys. We want to help you. What homes were going to call it loads at home. That's L OTE at home because we know a lot of you guys are at home and the reality is just what ship is saying our faith grows when were in God's word, and so just like he offered chips can walk you through how he studies the Bible how he reads it. How he interprets it. How he responds. Even how he processes it, whether it's in his heart through prayer or through journaling, so were going to offer his daily videos from ship will be short will be casual, though be informal. It'll be chip walking you through a passage and in this case were going to start with Philippians because we feel that in this time of crisis. It's gonna really allow us as a group to find peace, peace and God's word. Second, we wanted. We want to help your family you know and I'm I'm feeling this reality of okay lots of togetherness. Lots of together time and you were in Colorado. But guess what guys, it's winter still here so were not really going to get to be outside all that much. There might be a day or two here and there but while virtually all this social distancing.

We can be together as a family and here's the thing were not coming out for meals lease were I am all the restaurants are close except for takeout circuit to be sitting down together to eat. You want to give you guys a tool that were just gonna call mealtime conversation guides we want to help you maybe break the ice.

Here's my deal with my teenage girls. It's always like hey guys, put down your phone's been put down those phone so we can actually make some I contact and in this case that I can invest in them. Hopefully building more faith instead of fear and really growing the conversation, you know back to that survey.

The third question we asked was the most practical thing we can help you with, and everyone said people Yep. And so the reality is we all have people in our lives who are either asking us questions or looking to us for guidance and what we do and so with this low at home strategy. We not only want to give you these daily videos with chip really teaching on how to study the Bible, we not only want to give you these mealtime conversation guides for your family but we want to create a forum where would you can ask your questions and we can interact with you, so we are working to be doing a weekly Facebook live.

I know everybody is on Facebook are pretty much her ideas so we want to meet you there and just give you an opportunity to ask the questions that are really gnawing at you at the people in your life. Maybe it's coworkers that are needing a dose of help in a dose of faith we want to help meet you in that gap when you can answer those questions and what I would say is you know, one of the things that will happen is that if we can encourage one another and if were in God's word. He's going to speak and the fact of the matter is, is that were not victims. We are people that are the salt and light in the change engine of the world.

We don't need to react. We we can be proactive were the kind of people that don't have to be anxious we can be calm and confident. I of course we don't have answers to what can happen to small business.

You know I have of a son who has his own physical therapy clinic and no one showing up and he's got employees and mean people are living that an hourly wages and there's tons of issues where a part of that solution. God will use us as we get into his word. As we gather around the table and as we shared some time in conversation as we learn to pray at maybe it a bit deeper level and then he's going to show us you know here's here's how you can help your neighbors. Here's some safe and good ways that the elderly are gonna need a hand up. Here's how were going to say what is God want us to do. We are a body you look at, you know. Acts chapter 2, there were some people in that crisis that had resources there there other people that didn't have any resources and they came together, and they helped each other. We have I believe maybe one of the greatest opportunities to demonstrate a radical loving supernatural concern for one another and for those that are hurting, you know the Scripture says, you know, be careful to do your good works and he says, first of the household of faith. But God promises as we love other people and reach out we can really make a difference so low-tech at home is going to be our way to help you personally to help your family and help your friends and were gonna connect daily to connect weekly and working at, say, Lord, we are open we want you to use this time and we want you to shift it from a crisis to an opportunity and a platform to do great good in our neighborhood, our families are relationships to go deeper like never before. We really want to stay connected with use. If you haven't already, please follow us on Facebook Living on the Edge with chip Ingram. Also be sure to download the chip Ingram app and then if you prefer for us to send you all of this information by email, please go to our website that's LivingontheEdge.org and sign up to receive those emails but were so excited to be able to connect with you and to help grow in your faith through lopes at home