Explain, please
Everyone is talking about the Coronavirus this week. So I guess we will, too.
Everyone has an opinion, an option, an angle.
I’d like to talk about the opportunities we have for evangelism, highlighted by the “tool” of Bible prophecy. People are afraid of this global crisis, much like 9/11. Remember that? The churches were full for weeks.
Then, it dissipated.
I have noticed an interesting thing in the last few days: the Bible prophecy mockers are back out in force. Many of them target Millennials.
The other day, Dean Inserra tweeted:
“These last 3 days are an Ed Hindson sermon at Liberty on a platter.”
The left wing former evangelical writer Jonathan Merritt “liked” the tweet.
Of course he did; he is a major mover and shaker in the drive to push people away from the Bible. His buddy Inserra is “lead pastor” at City Church, in Tallahassee, Florida. He also graduated from Liberty and, tellingly, he is “an advisory member of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s Leadership Council with the Southern Baptist Convention.”
(The ERLC, as I’ve written many times, is headed by Replacement Theology-guy Russell Moore.)
Inserra’s dig at Ed Hindson is unfortunate. I’ve met with Hindson several times and he is a grounded, godly minister of the Gospel, and a leading light in the Bible prophecy community. How sad that Inserra (and Merritt, who truly loathes conservative Christians) uses this moment to take a shot at Bible prophecy teaching.
It is this very moment—when people are trafficking in fear—that lends itself to witnessing for Christ, using the Bible’s predictive prophecy to help people make sense of life, and their lives.
For example, you will be having LOTS of conversations in the next several weeks. Opportunities will come for you to tell people that God is in control, and that He offers peace in the storm.
What better way to do that then, for example, talk about Israel in modern history? I have had the privilege (really!) of talking to many of Israel’s critics in the Church; these people of course also have a particular hatred for Bible prophecy in general.
I’m always able to say at some point: “How do you explain the existence of Israel, apart from God’s promises to them in the Bible?”
Not a single time have any of these critics been able to articulate a coherent reason (understanding of course they reject Bible prophecy).
Not a single time. So, I say, “Explain, please.”
Ed Hindson can answer correctly, Dean Inserra cannot. Jonathan Merritt cannot.
Ultimately, there are legions of fear-mongers out there. I count Inserra and his friends among them, because they will not use the extraordinary, majestic example of God’s ability to know all the future.
So, your assignment the next few days or weeks is to stand-in for the Dean Inserras of the Church world. Take your opportunities to calm fears by pointing out that God knows all, forever, and He has promised to keep His people.
Serve up some hope on a platter.