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"I just received your hope pamphlet it makes a lot of sense I haven't
been to church in years and my 3yr old son has never been. Its a pity its
taken such a drastic event but I would like to get to know God." - Christchurch
First there was September 4
Then there was February 22What's next? Is this the end of the destruction or just the beginning? What does the future hold? These are the kinds of questions on everyone's lips. As we surveyed the damage, either directly or through pictures and video, we stood aghast and overwhelmed at the destruction of the city of Christchurch—and all in a matter of mere seconds!
The whole thing hits one with such a blunt impact—How? Why? The situation appears almost hopeless. Is it? Tragically, the destruction from February’s quake was far greater than September's—and given its location and timing, it could have been much, much worse! Then there are the deaths—about 180 lives lost! And so many more wounded, some incapacitated for life. Oh, the hurt and pain!
Another Side of Things
Yes, that hurt and pain are real. People are suffering physically, financially, emotionally, and more. And yet there is another equally real side to all of this: the spiritual side. One person was heard to say, "You can't tell me there is a God when He allows destruction like this to happen—even people losing their families, their limbs, and their very lives!" Many of us may be tempted to feel this same way, but have we considered that God may be more pained about Christchurch than we are?
For many of us, that's a new thought!
The truth is that God is not bent on destruction, but on restoration and healing. Think about the best-known verse in the Bible: "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" How clear is that? Plenty!
The bottom line here is that suffering, pain and death are not part of God's plan! He's all about healing, restoring, and rescuing. There is, however, an enemy—an enemy to both God and man—that is bent on destruction. Does that sound strange to you? It really shouldn't! The truth of the matter is that we are in the midst of a very real spiritual battle. On the one side there is God, seeking to heal, restore, and save; on the other side there is Satan, the devil, seeking to destroy, harm and deceive. The name Satan actually comes from the Hebrew word meaning enemy or adversary. We are more than mere participants in this spiritual battle, we are the stakes! The battle is for us! “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil”
One day, God will destroy the destroyer!
Losing a Loved One
God knows what it is to lose a loved one to death. His own Son, Jesus Christ, came to this sin-ravaged world two millennia ago. He lived an exemplary life in complete harmony with the moral 10 commandment law of God. He loved God and His fellow man truly and unreservedly. The historical record of his perfectly sinless life has inspired and encouraged hundreds of millions through the ages. And yet one day tragedy struck. He was reviled by the very people He had come to teach and to save. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” He was betrayed by one of His closest friends, and turned over to the cruel and corrupt Roman authorities. He was repeatedly whipped and a crown of thorns was pressed onto His brow, painfully piercing His skin. All the while He heard the terrible chant of "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"
And as the Easter story tells, crucified He was, on that old rugged cross. His Father watched from heaven, pained in His deepest heart.
Perhaps you are inclined to say, Why didn't God just step in and stop all that? That is a very good question! The answer is that He could have but chose not to. Well why? you may be thinking. Another good question! The answer: Because both Jesus Christ and His Father had decided beforehand that He would lay down His life for the undeserving. He suffered the death that we deserved, and He lived the life we have not lived—a perfect life! “By His stripes we are healed” You see, there it is again: God is a healer—a Saviour! viour!
Peace From God
Now why was this leaflet placed in your hands? Because Jesus Christ gave the instruction to go and teach and proclaim His message of love, hope, and truth! Part of that message has to do with events that will happen on earth prior to His triumphant and glorious return. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” We are accustomed to seeing these tragedies on the television happening in other parts of the world! But lately it has become painfully clear that Christchurch and New Zealand are not exempt.
Yes, we are physical beings, but we are emotional and spiritual beings as well. Think of it as a kind of triangle. All three are needed for us to be truly whole and healthy people. Just as a tripod needs three legs in order to be stable, we need a proper understanding and balance of who we really are—physical, spiritual, and emotional beings. Are you neglecting one or more aspects of who you are? For many, it's the spiritual dimension that is ignored. But this must change if we are to be all that God purposed us to be! are to be all that God purposed us to be!
Jesus Christ longs for you to find spiritual rest in Him. "Come to me," He says, "all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" . On another occassion Jesus promised a peace beyond that which the world could not give: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" . Jesus also spoke of another essential ingredient: love. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us" . In loving and trusting God through Jesus, we have no need to fear.
Flee to Where?
We often think of the earth below us as secure and solid. Life is based on the stability, solidity and productivity of the earth beneath our feet. We build on it, we live on it, we drive on it, we grow our food from it. But when an earthquake strikes, it shakes our confidence and security. What we thought was so solid and secure, suddenly isn't! This shakes not only our bodies and homes, but it shakes us inside too!
Will there be another earthquake? Was September and February only a part of these things?
Once again, as we open the pages of the Bible we find the answer. In the book of Revelation Jesus spoke of events that will occur in the context of His return to earth: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watches… and there were voices, and thunders, and lightning; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” . So the big one is yet to come. When will it come? At the Time of Jesus coming. No one knows for sure when that will be, but the signs of the times say it can't be too far in the future.
In the meantime, we have come to take our earth for granted, but our terra firma does shake now and again. And when it does it puts us quite naturally into a state of insecurity, fear, and confusion. But when our third dimension, our spiritual dimension, is anchored in Jesus Christ, it gives us abundant peace and security—a peace and security that can only come from the amazing love of God!
Though the earth may shake, God's Word and God's love will not shake.
He says, "My words will not pass away" , and, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”Some people may well want to flee from insecure, unsettling, and seemingly unsafe areas, but where would they flee to? To the floods, fires, droughts, cyclones, famines, tsunamis and other disasters rampant around the world? Where, really, is safe? The answer is nowhere.
You see, it's not a matter of where we flee to, but Who we flee to! If we flee to God, then we'll be safe, eternally safe, no matter what happens to us here on this sometimes-shaky earth! If you would like to build up that crucial spiritual dimension in your life, then please contact us and we will send you the free material you have selected below.
We hope and pray that this humble little leaflet has given you some hope even in the midst of a world that is falling apart.
