General Articles

Absent from the Body and Present with the Lord :: By Candy Austin

Published on: by RR10

In a changing world where people are becoming more and more unfriendly, unkind, and just plain downright rude, it is pretty rare to find a person who will leave mainly positive impressions and memories behind. Throughout my lifetime, only about a dozen or so people have left such a fond imprint, which is why I would like to introduce this ‘special someone’ today.

Proverbs 31:28-30 “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Out of all of the Pastor’s Wives I have ever met and/or known, there is one that stands out to me, hands down, above them all. For this piece, we will call this exceptional lady ‘Mrs. Gem.’ As an impressionable 12-year-old at a small Southern Baptist Church back in the late 80s is when I first met Mrs. Gem. From what I came to learn about her was that she had 4 children (3 boys and 1 girl), all older than me, but 2 of them were closer to my age range.

In a household of mainly males, Mrs. Gem and her daughter had a very special bond seeing how they were always very close, inseparable even, like two very best friends. Mrs. Gem was witty, kind, thoughtful, and generous. Sunday mornings at church, she would offer everyone coming in to breakfast drinks and donuts that she had brought. Mrs. Gem was someone who would go out of her way to make sure everyone felt comfortable and content.

By the time I was in my 20s, it was made known that Mrs. Gem had a breast cancer battle on her hands, but by God’s Providential Hand, she far outlived the doctor’s timeline and prognosis. Her testimony concerning the ‘lowest point in her cancer battle’ went (to the best of my memory) something like this: On one particularly gloomy winter day when all seemed unhopefully grim, she sat prayerfully and tearfully by her living room window asking God for some sort of ‘sign’ that she would have even just a little more time to live.

Suddenly, and out of nowhere, a beautiful red Cardinal landed on her windowsill and seemed to just stay there and look at her. From that moment on, she took that red bird as a sign that God had answered her prayer! Mrs. Gem came to adore Cardinals, so much so that she decorated most of her house with these beautiful Hallmark Brand red birds complete with the greenery, frost, and winter berries as a ‘constant reminder’ that God had spoken to her that day.

Matthew 6:26 “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”

During her years of experiential medical trials, hair loss, wigs, chemo, debilitating sickness, and extended remission, Mrs. Gem remained her ‘kind and beautiful self.’ For example, before our wedding, she went out of her way to spend time at the church to decorate for us — with large and small details such as a huge white heart arch on the altar, to putting our names and date on the wall in the reception hall in red (which matched my red rose bouquet color theme). All these years later, her thoughtfulness and generosity are still fondly remembered and appreciated.

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Throughout my 20s and until my mid-30s, I was a Sign Language Interpreter off and on for several years at her husband’s church. One Sunday, after a particular song special in sign language, Mrs. Gem made a point to tell me with a tear in her eye, “Girl, I want you to perform at my funeral.” I replied by saying that I hoped it would ‘not be for a very long time because we still want you around.’

Thank the Lord, we had a few more years with Mrs. Gem, such as the memory of one of the last Fall mornings we spent at her house where she held a Ladies’ Bruncheon. Even though the delicious fare was sprawled out all along her beautifully decorated dining table, this event was a ‘particularly emotional’ one.

Especially after hearing Mrs. Gem gently lay out that she was beginning to get weaker and frailer at that point, some of us around the table felt led then to share our thoughts, feelings, and prayers. Some ladies quietly sat and listened, while some others tearfully relayed how grateful they were to be there that day, how evidently God had taken care of her, and how much we would miss her. Even during a somber time like that, Mrs. Gem had such a joy and a love for the Lord that one couldn’t help but tell it just by watching the way she smiled and in listening to the way she spoke about our Lord and His care.

Twelve extra years of life after Abba Father responded to Mrs. Gem by sending that red Cardinal to her windowsill, the time came for Him to call her home. Even still, it was a shock to get the call that Mrs. Gem had passed away. While her husband (the Pastor), the church, and her 4 children were making preparations for Mrs. Gem’s funeral, I relayed to them how she wanted me to perform a song in sign language for her service. They agreed (especially her daughter) that it would be a touching way to portray her favorite song.

Here is Mrs. Gem’s favorite song (His Eye is on the Sparrow):

His Eye Is On The Sparrow – Sandi Patty (with Lyrics)

Why should I feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is my portion
My constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me

Whenever I am tempted
Whenever clouds arise
When songs give way to sighing
And hope within me dies
I draw closer to Him
From care He sets me free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me

I sing because I’m happy
I sing because I’m free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches
Yes, I know He watches
I know He’s watching over me

At the funeral, there was nothing but fond words, scripture, humorous gestures, precious memories, and remembrance of Mrs. Gem serving the Lord and others during her lifetime. It is safe to say that there was not a dry eye in the whole congregation. It was an honor to get on that platform, albeit nervously, and perform this beautiful song in sign language for Mrs. Gem as her body lay in the casket below during this large church gathering.

She is someone I will never forget, and I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to learn what a ‘Proverbs 31 Woman’ looked like in real life from the time I met her as an impressionable 12-year-old. She no doubt touched so many lives, and the ripple effects of her generosity, warmth, and kindness continue on, even to this day.

2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

Like one of her sons, who also went on to become a Pastor, said during the funeral preparations, “Mom is now absent from the body and now present with the Lord.” For sure, it was an ‘awesome homecoming’ for Mrs. Gem!

What does it mean to be absent from the body? | GotQuestions.org

The phrase “absent from the body” is found in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8. Paul states that he is confident in his eternal destiny and longs for the day when he can be “absent from the body” and be present with the Lord he loves and serves. To be “absent” from one’s body simply means to die because, at death, the spirit is separated from the body and moves into its eternal abode—either heaven with the Lord or hell, separated from God for eternity.

In the same way, Christians are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the presence of God. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. When a born-again believer dies, his soul goes immediately into the presence of the Lord. There, the soul consciously awaits the resurrection of the body. To the church at Philippi, Paul wrote from a Roman prison:

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:21-24).

Paul’s desire in life was to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. If he lived, he could continue to labor for the Lord. If he faced execution, he would depart this life and be with Christ. He desired to be with his Savior, but if he remained on earth, he could continue to minister to others.

There are some who believe in soul sleep, meaning that when a person dies, his body and soul sleep in the grave, awaiting the resurrection. But if this were true, why would Paul not want to live to minister as long as possible rather than sleep in a grave? And if it were true that the body and soul are never separated, it would be impossible to ever be absent from the body and present with the Lord.

We conclude, then, that believers who die are indeed absent from their physical bodies and present with the Lord in conscious bliss, awaiting that grand resurrection day! – End Source

Until we meet again, Maranatha!

Sincerely & In Christ,

Candy Austin

Hebrews Study: Our Anchor for the Soul :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR10

Hebrews 6:13-20

“For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, ‘Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.’ 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Right now, I am reading in the Torah once again, Genesis to Deuteronomy, and these verses are coming to life right before my eyes as I am teaching through the book of Hebrews. It is important to see the Old Testament as relevant to us in the New Testament era. There has been a push of late among even prominent church leaders to treat the Old Testament as not necessary in the New Testament era. Nothing could be further from the truth. The faith we have in the New Testament is a faith rooted and built on the promises that God gave to the Patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

There are two stages to the covenant: a physical one in that, through Abraham, God would build a literal nation called Israel. The second is a spiritual one for all who believe in God by faith. Abraham, one man and his wife, they being 75 and 65 respectively, would have children as numerous as the stars of heaven or the sand of the seashore. They had one son, Isaac, at the age of 100 and 90 respectively, and he, Isaac, had just 2 sons. But today, in spite of persecution and centuries of hatred that still persist to this day, there are approximately 9,200,000 people living in Israel (and in the vicinity) of the 14,800,000 Jews living in the world today. God’s promise to multiply the children of Abraham is being fulfilled and played out right before us, and there is nothing anyone or any nation can do to stop it.

The nation of Israel continues to be a blessing to the world in technology, medical discoveries, and financial prowess. There are communities of Jews everywhere; even my little Barbados has one of the oldest synagogues in the Western Hemisphere, established in 1654. About 300 Jews settled in Barbados in the 1600s, many of them skilled in the sugar industry. Today, it is a museum in Bridgetown, Barbados. The prosperity of the Jews and their seeming ability to survive any and all attacks and not just to survive but thrive is all a part of the promises that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You need to know these promises as a child of God. The faithfulness of God to the Jews, even in the midst of sin and rebellion, is a comfort to us and provides a sure footing for our growth in Christ.

Please, please remember that Jesus is a Jew. Our salvation was brought by a Jewish Rabbi named Jesus, God and Man in one, who died on the cross. The whole reason for God’s promises to Abraham was to pave the way for the Jewish God-Man, Jesus, to be our salvation.

  • God Made a Covenant with Himself, 16-18

God swore an oath that He could perform all that He had promised to Abraham. There is the Abrahamic covenant recorded for us in Genesis 12: 1-3 (NKJV), but this covenant was further secured via an ancient ceremony that was often performed between two warring kings. We find the record of this in Genesis 15. In this ceremony, the two kings would cut an animal in half, then walk between the two halves in the blood. This action secured peace or secured whatever covenant they made until one of the kings died, and then it was back to war or whatever was before. In Genesis 15, if you read verse 12, Abraham falls asleep, and God does the ceremony with Himself. And since He cannot die, the covenant will never expire. The covenant is recorded in verses 1-6:

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’ But Abram said, ‘Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ Then Abram said, ‘Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!’ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.’ Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (NKJV).

Our promises in God, through Jesus, are as secure as this covenant, which has not nor will ever go out of existence, because the promises are to Jesus as well, as a descendant of Abraham.

  • The Anchor of our Souls, verse 19

This is the hope we have in Jesus; this is the hope we have in God’s promises and the hope we have that transcends the trials and storms of life. It even transcends our failures, our sinfulness, and our faithlessness. In all of our shortcomings, God is faithful, and He will NEVER renege on His promises to Abraham since they are also promises to His Son, Jesus. We are secure in Jesus, not because we are good but because God is good. We can trust in His salvation when He calls us His children (1 John 3:1). Thus, we have an anchor for our souls, and we have a security that is guarded by God himself. He will never die, so the covenant is secure, and He cannot lie, so he will not go back on His word.

But, you say, the covenant was with Abraham; what has that to do with us? Genesis 15:6 (NKJV) is repeated for us in Romans 4: 3, 22. We see that Abraham believed in God, and it was accounted to him for ‘righteousness’; therefore, when you and I believe in God by faith, just like Abraham, we are declared righteous as well. By the way, it was not until Genesis 17, when Abraham was 99 years old, that God made him get circumcised. So, Abraham’s righteousness was accrued to him before circumcision, so not by the law but by faith.

There are still so many who want to be saved by keeping the Law, but this is impossible. Abraham was saved by faith. He simply believed in God, he took God at His word, and he, Abraham, was declared righteous. This is still how we are saved today, ‘whosoever believes in Him will be saved.’ Our hope, our security, and your future and mine are in God’s hands, the most secure hands ever, the Anchor of our soul.

Who anchors your soul?

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

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