“For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me.”
– Psalm 31:3
Who should boast he needs no guide to tread a path unseen,
Who should brag he can conquer hills and valleys and beasts so very mean.
A humble servant knows his need as he treks through barren land,
He trusts a Guide to pave the way, following His perfect plan.
-mhb
John 14:30-31
Introduction
As of late we have been hearing the President of the United States multiple times refer to COVID-19 as our “Invisible Enemy,” and that it truly is. The Coronavirus has paralyzed our country as well as nearly all countries around the world. Never in my six decades of ministry have I experienced absence from my local church for this length of time, except for going through a time of illness. Yes, the Coronavirus is an invisible enemy attacking at will here and everywhere but we also have another “Invisible Enemy,” Satan, called the “Prince and power of the air,” in Ephesians 2:1-2.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. James 2:23
Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, famous evangelist, said that the New Testament records tell of forty people, each suffering from the same disease, who were healed by Jesus. Of this number, thirty-four were either brought to Jesus by friends, or He was taken to them. In only six cases out of forty did the sufferers find the way to Jesus without assistance. Of the vast number of people who find their way to Jesus today, most of them reach Him because the friends of Jesus are concerned about the welfare of their souls.
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Introduction
When statisticians tell us that fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches, a high percentage of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce and seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression, something certainly needs to be addressed. Have you ever considered that your pastor might need a time away from ministry in order to be refreshed and possibly even extend his years of service to the Lord and His people? In my study I am finding that Baptists are far behind some denominations in caring for their pastor’s physical and spiritual welfare, many even having a “sabbatical policy” in their constitutions. Please consider with me, the concept of pastoral sabbaticals.
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Early one dreary fall morning I sat, as usual, on our sundeck enjoying a hot cup of “Michigan Cherry” coffee and doing my devotional reading. The day before had been rainy and cloudy but at this particular moment the dark puffs of clouds were moving swiftly to the south, past the tree tops and out of sight. I could see pieces of blue sky starting to appear and a circle of light becoming brighter and brighter. The momentary sight was beautiful. Grayish blue blotches fading into wavy puffs of white with a backset of bright blue sky. It was just one of those scenes where our heavenly Father took His paintbrush and illustrated with aesthetic hues a striking portrait of His splendor for all creation to see. The ominous clouds continued to glide quickly by, the bright circle of light soon became white and I thought to myself while gazing on that artistic panorama, “It’s going to be a beautiful day – here comes the sun!”
Then my thoughts went to I Thessalonians 4:14-18 when one day we will not say, “Here comes the sun,” but rather “Here comes the SON!”
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