The World has Changed. The Gospel Has Not.

I think we can all agree that no one saw this coming

As I sit here writing this blog, I’m simply stunned by the fact that just this past February, I was leading a Wild Game Feast in Fort Worth, Texas. Nobody in attendance could have guessed that just a handful of days later, an overseas virus that few paid attention to would bring our entire country to a screeching halt.

It’s amazing how fast things can change.

However, at times like this, it’s important to remember some things that haven’t changed. God hasn’t changed. His love for us hasn’t changed. The world’s desperate need for the gospel hasn’t changed either. It’s this last point I want to unpack for a moment.

When I speak at Wild Game Feasts, I love to talk about how God reveals Himself to us in creation. The beauty of an African sunrise; the majesty on display in a clear night sky; the inescapable marks of a Designer throughout the animal kingdom. When we take the time to be still among creation, the conclusion of a Creator is simply unavoidable. However, and unfortunately, evidence of the Fall lingers around every corner as well.

Just as the beauty and complexity of this world point us to a Creator, the destructive force of a virus like Covid-19 harshly remind us that something is terribly wrong – the world is broken. While we are often able to distract ourselves from this brokenness with busy lives and full schedules, the Coronavirus has forced everyone into stillness. And in that stillness, people have been confronted with the fact that the world is not a safe place and that our lives are extremely fragile. These can be hard and bitter pills to swallow - but it’s at a moment like this when the gospel shines like a beacon of light in the darkness.

As Covid-19 wreaks havoc on the world, the gospel reminds us that our hope is not in this world. Our hope is in the One who said, “in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). People everywhere are in desperate need to hear the message of hope that is found in Christ alone – and they are more ready to receive this message than perhaps at any other point in their lives.

As Christians, we are always on mission for Christ. But especially in these times, I want to encourage you to call, email, text, or write to that unbelieving friend or loved one you have been praying would be open to the gospel one day. I can almost guarantee that person has thought of the frailty of life several times over the past several days. They have likely had their world turned upside down, they are likely filled with more questions than answers, and they are likely fighting feelings of hopelessness.

What better time to remind loved ones and others that they don’t have to remain hopeless. They can find hope in Christ. The kind of hope that is impervious to any worldly catastrophe - the kind of hope only found by trusting in Him alone for salvation.

He alone has overcome the world.