Liquid Church

The way to parent during this pandemic is to remember that all God is asking of us is to parent faithfully by choosing to be present over perfect and remembering that suffering well produces godly character!

The pathway to peace is paved with prayer. Cast all your anxieties on Christ because He cares for you!

Right now, many of us experience day-to-day worry, fear, and anxiety due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, which has now claimed the lives of over 190,000 people around the world. You may worry about how the coronavirus may impact your health - but you also might worry about the economic implications. We don't know how much longer until we're back together at church, in schools, or at restaurants - but we do know that there is no need to let fear imprison us. Anxiety is a fact of life, but it doesn't have to dominate life. That's why we compiled a strategy for how to win the war on worry.

How To Win The War On Worry

In Philippians 4:6-8, the Apostle Paul tells us this: "Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

When Paul wrote the book of Philippians in the New Testament of the Bible, he sat in a Roman prison cell, awaiting trial. He endured beatings and persecution for following Jesus. Yet, he managed to write these encouraging words to the church - telling believers not to worry about anything!

Cultivating CALM

Could you use some CALM in your life during this crisis? God wants to give it to you! When anxiety attacks, here is a 4-Step Strategy on how to win the war on worry:

C = CONTROL belongs to God.

A = ASK Him for help.

L = LEAVE your worries with him.

M = MEDITATE on good things.

Most people have experienced situational anxiety at some point or another - when you think about your family, work or money, it can cause fear or panic and your thoughts go in every direction like an octopus on roller skates! It's mental. It's emotional. It can actually cause physical problems. Ultimately, we're not meant to carry burdens this way. That's why Paul's prescription for peace in Philippians 4 includes an ode to joy when faced with worry.

How did Paul hold this worry-free perspective? He had a bedrock belief in the sovereignty of God, which means he believed in God's complete control of every element of the universe. God rules over everything as the King of Heaven. We can take heart in this. God is writing your story from the first page to the final chapter - and even when things go wrong in the world, they're going to turn out right because of God's sovereignty.

Where True Peace Comes From

In the midst of our anxiety right now, we have an opportunity to learn that true peace doesn't come from an ABSENCE of crisis; rather, it comes from the PRESENCE of Christ in the crisis! When you know God is in complete control, it opens up the door for you to ask him for help. That's the second step in the War on Worry. When a crisis hits, Christians turn to God in PRAYER instead of succumbing to despair. We humbly plead with our great and powerful God to ask for Heaven's help.

We'll continue our series on anxiety next week as we learn how to leave our worries with God and meditate good things... but for now, let's commit Philippians 4:6-8 to memory. Use God's word as a weapon in your war on worry this week. Read it every day as you choose to trust that control belongs to God and as you ask Him for help this week!

It’s impossible to help those you love if you don’t take care of your own soul first. Discover 6 ways to care for yourself

physically, emotionally, and spiritually during the COVID crisis.

Easter is typically a time when we celebrate life and resurrection, but this Spring, we’re surrounded by so much death and disease. Here in the New York and New Jersey region, God chose us to live in the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic: A global disaster bigger than World War II.

During this pandemic, I find a lot of people asking: Where is God in all this suffering? The answer is this: He’s right there with you, on the Cross.

This Easter, I want to share with you a bittersweet story from the Gospel of John, chapter 11. In the story, we see Jesus’ close friends Mary & Martha call Jesus to come and help when their brother Lazarus fell sick. Lazarus was a friend of Jesus’ as well, and the Scripture shows us that Jesus loved him.  However, Jesus waited 2 days before traveling to the family, and when He finally got to Mary & Martha, Lazarus had already died. Martha was hurt and confused when Jesus arrived late, believing that, had Jesus come earlier, Lazarus would have lived. The thing is, he didn’t come to do a healing that day – He came to give Lazarus a resurrection!

See, as Christians, we believe Jesus can bring GOOD out of suffering. Out of the Cross comes the Resurrection. Out of our weakness comes real STRENGTH. I know you can’t see it right now, but God can bring something even better out of this pandemic. Something BEAUTIFUL out of this horrible time.

Can you imagine if God used this pandemic to humble our nation and reboot our moral compass? To bring us together as one people instead of being so self-involved and busy that we don’t even care about others? Out of this death, we can see a resurrection!

In John 11, we see that in order to give Lazarus back his life, Jesus would have to lose his own. To reverse the effect of death for all who believe in Him, Jesus would have to experience his own death on a Cross. In Jesus Christ, we have a God who is so committed to ending suffering, sickness, and death – He took it on Himself in our place.

You may feel disappointed this Easter. You may feel like Mary and Martha did in their initial grief: Sad, confused or confounded. But the promise of Easter is found in the promise of eternal life bought for us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Read below his words of comfort to Martha in John 11:25:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25

Do you have this hope? Admit your sin, believe in Jesus, and commit your life to follow Christ this Easter!

I know the coronavirus pandemic has us all a bit on edge. Here in the New York and New Jersey area, the worst point of the virus may hit right around Easter weekend. That's why today, I want to talk to you about the steps we're taking and the plans we're making to prepare our church to serve people in need around our region. HOPE is on the way!

Did you know the Bible actually gives guidance about disaster planning in a time of national crisis? In Genesis 41, we find the very first account of a global disaster and emergency planning in human history! See, in this story, Joseph rose from being sold into slavery by his brothers, to becoming the second most powerful leader in Egypt. How did this happen, you ask? Pharaoh had a dream that needed interpreting, but none of his counselors could interpret it. Pharaoh's cup-bearer remembered Joseph from his time with him in prison and called on Joseph to interpret the dream. Joseph warned that the Pharaoh's dream meant the land would be prosperous for 7 years, but that time would be followed by 7 years of great famine.  That's when Joseph came up for a plan to help Pharaoh prepare for what would come. They started saving from each crop, collected extra food in a storehouse, and created a stockpile of resources to care for Egyptians and their neighboring lands when the crisis hit. Isn't that incredible?!

Church, this is our Joseph moment: In the wake of the coronavirus, we have been working and planning with Convoy of Hope, a disaster relief ministry that sends supplies around the world when a crisis hits. This week, they are delivering 20,000 pounds of relief supplies to our warehouse! Thanks to your generosity, we're going to become a relief distribution hub for our region!

See, we want to take care of the hurting in our church family, in our community, and those from other neighboring church communities. We want to deliver hope to the doorsteps of the sick and hurting in this season!

We'll have a web page available this coming week where you can GIVE HELP or GET HELP - you'll hear more from us next week on that! But, in the meantime, if you're eager to give help, you can give to the COVID-19 Financial Impact Fund at LiquidChurch.com/Give. This fund will be used to help families who've been devastated by the crisis and seen a major gap in their income as a result.

Your giving is important, church - and we're grateful for the opportunity to help meet the needs of our community during this pandemic. When you give generously to our church, it's what allows us to give generously to those who desperately need help! This is our moment to shine the HOPE of Jesus Christ in a dark time. Just as it was for Joseph, this pandemic is a national emergency - and it's also our chance to JOIN JESUS ON MISSION by showing the love of Christ to our neighbors in need. How will you follow Joesph - and Jesus'- footsteps today?

In times like these, I believe it is more important than ever for believers to seek God. Many people are still full of fear, worry and anxiety as our nation struggles to battle the coronavirus crisis. However, God gave me a special word to encourage you today from 2 Chronicles 20 in the Old Testament of the Bible. In uncertain times, we remember these 5 words that God spoke to King Jehoshaphat in a time of crisis for Israel: The Battle Belongs To God. In the passage, we're introduced to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, whom God put in power during a time of crisis. Israel previously enjoyed a revival of prosperity in the country until one day, three enemy armies called the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Out of nowhere, disaster showed up at their doorstep. Sounds a little like our current situation, doesn't it? Just three weeks ago, we had no idea how drastically life would change as our world wars against an invisible enemy called COVID-19. With so many lives disrupted, most people feel under siege by fear of illness, worry for loved ones, and anxiety over the economy. Give God His Battle Back Fear, worry and anxiety are three very real enemies right now. In 2 Chronicles 20, though, we see King Jehoshaphat was drawn to the Lord when he faced unexpected crises. Prayer was his first response. Just like King Jehoshaphat, it should be ours, too. That's why every Wednesday at 7pm, we're doing Live Prayer with our team of Pastors on Facebook Live - and we invite you to join us for a powerful time of digital community as we pray for God to end this pandemic. See, Jehoshaphat believed God would help him in the BATTLE as he led his people in PRAYER... and we're following his example in our own current crisis. Remember Past Victories Church, you must know that COVID-19 is not God's first battle. This is not the first time danger has shown up at the doorstep. It's hard to know what God is doing - but we can remember what he has done in the past. See, your weakness is a magnet for God's strength, so you can be honest and authentic in your prayers. Your anxieties and fears do not overwhelm Him! In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat demonstrated through prayer that he knew the battle was too big for him...but it wasn't too big for his God! This prompts me to ask you: How BIG do you believe God is? If your view of God is too small, you'll live in constant worry and anxiety thinking everything depends on you. But when you magnify your view of God, you realize that nothing is too hard for Him! We can be confident in all the chaos of our current crisis because of Christ, which is a powerful witness to non-believers!  Focus On Christ So remember this week, church: Victory in the battle doesn't come by fixating on the crisis, but by focusing on Christ Alone. God loves to wage war through our prayer and worship. On the Cross, Jesus stepped on the neck of Satan, sin, and death - He's broken the power over the Enemy with His shed blood. You are saved and protected by the Blood of Jesus Christ, and His love endures forever! Amen?

We live in uncertain times and daily life has been turned upside down by the spread of COVID-19. During this moment of unprecedented disruption and fear of the coronavirus pandemic, God has a message for us, the modern church, in Psalm 91. In this Psalm, we see a powerful promise of protection from God in a time of global pandemic.

Faith In Christ Can Overcome Fear Of Coronavirus

In verse 1 of Psalm 91 the first thing God calls his people to do in a time of crisis is to rest. To dwell in his shelter! See, you don't have anything to fear when you know who shelters you. God is watching over you - and anything that threatens you. Next, in verse 2, God is named "my refuge and my fortress". So, it doesn't matter the size of the problem - God is a refuge for small, everyday problems and a mighty fortress in the face of large-scale attacks! So, ask yourself: when a crisis comes, who do you trust?

24-7 Protection

As we continue through Psalm 91 to verses 5-7, we learn that we have 24-7 protection from God. He's awake when you're asleep watching over you. You can cast out every fear and anchor your heart in bold faith.

Now, in times like these, the battleground for this crisis isn't just physical - it's mental and emotional, too. Mentally, be careful not to constantly check social media and watch the news 24-7 during this time: There's so much fear-mongering out there, and as followers of Christ, there is no need to let fear hijack your mind or heart. Physically, are you taking common-sense precautions? Wash your hands and social distance. Do everything the professionals tell you, just do it without fear. Are you caring for seniors? Loneliness is real - write your senior neighbor a note or ask if they need groceries delivered. What about praying for healthcare workers? Pray Psalm 91 as a prayer of protection over them, that God would sustain them as they care for the sick and minister to the hurting!

Guys, God has the devil on a chain like a stubborn dog - He can only go so far! When Satan runs at you and fear rises up, you can stand your ground. And if you want God's perfect peace in times of trouble, you need to dwell in His presence. Draw close to Christ in prayer. While Christians still have hardship, we can know that God will never leave us, and our eternal security is forever safe in Christ! Let Christ shelter you under His wings of protection today.

We are here to support you - Have a prayer request to share? Let us know at LiquidChurch.com/Prayer and our prayer teams will be praying over you and your family!

There isn’t just one baptism of the Holy Spirit, but 3! If you are feeling spiritually dry, it may be because you’re missing a baptism. Which baptism do you need today?

The Spirit’s primary job is to supernaturally pour out the love of Abba Father into our hearts!