welcome to real Christianity a weekly show designed to help Christians know their Bible defend their faith and truly understand what it means to follow Jesus the premise is simple the culture is getting louder the church is getting flash ear but few pastors are teaching on how to live a Biblical life my name is Dale Partridge along with my incredible wife Veronica join us if we start an important conversation about what it really means to be a Christian
 welcome to real Christianity today we are talking about how to have hope in a hard situation well guys Welcome to the Real Christianity podcast excited to have you here typically the show is done with my wife and I but since the coronavirus situation we haven't had as much opportunity for babysitting and we are doing shows where I'm doing him and she's watching kiddos however next week we will be back at it with just her and I we're going to try to do something with maybe the kids going to bed and filming a show at night those are harder to do for us but we really do know the importance of having her here as a secondary voice in the conversation that we have here the podcast but thanks for joining us today if you're new to the show would love for you to leave a review if you haven't done so already those reviews are really powerful they help new listeners understand
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 over sin that Christ has earned on our behalf and it's an extremely affordable simple straightforward course it's 320 minute videos of each video is a company by 3 study guide PDF it's for men and women has some virtual tasks that you can do and some biblical study tasks for maintaining freedom from pronography and other forms of sexual immorality you can watch the video about the course on the homepage it's just a little bit of my story if you just visit stand-in victory.org again at the Gospel Center Program guys if you are struggling with porn girls or girls this is an important course to check out another great thing that I already had people do since we just roll this out is if so you've overcome pornography and you've broken free from pronography if you would like to sponsor somebody
 you could do so if I just going to relearn Church. Org forward slash donate and you can make a donation of any amount and then just write an email at support a tree learn.org I know those are two different domains but we're switching over domains here but if you go to relearn church.org Forsyth donate makes out there and then send us an email at support a tree learn.org and just say hey I just made a donation for this amount I'd like you to apply it to somebody that might not be able to afford the program it's only $49 is what the program is so you could sponsor two people for a hundred bucks we're going to make that a little bit more fluid soon but that's an option now and it would be a huge blessing to many people especially in times like this the second thing
 automation just before we get going into the this podcast on Hope is I want to talk about that special release article that I did on St Justin's website I also did as a pod cast last week if you have not listened to the podcast last week titled how the coronavirus might change the local church forever it's based on an article that I wrote to me about 40 hours to write in a guy's I'm telling you I in the middle of that I wouldn't trade several times I had to Worship the Lord several times when in the middle of writing has to get a firm accurate perspective of the predictions of what we might be seen in the coming months to years in the shifts of the local church expression and so if you want to read that article you can go to St Justin's at St Justin's pluralsight Justin's. Org Coronavirus
 alright guys let's go and get started about this conversation today I think it's obvious that the worry is starting to rise and life in quarantine is starting to become a little bit more frustrating people love to control their lives in a specially they love to control their deaths and these current circumstances especially talking about an illness they begin to infringe on our desire to do both of those things to control our lives and a control our debts and it's at the Forefront of discussion in conversation and it is becoming very hope stealing for many families and many Christians in the church so titled how Christians should respond to the coronavirus episode 87 in an episode we discussed the sovereignty of God over times like these but today
 I want to talk more about the Practical theology that may be helpful for those wondering how to manage the kind of minutiae of this what I think is a socio-political firestorm it's not just about the coronavirus about the social media it's about the worry of the economy it's about the laws changing about the threats of government it's it's about a lot of things how are we to respond against the sovereignty of God must be the foundation of the discussions you got to go back and listen to that episode 87 if you haven't but how do we respond practically in our own life and around theology from our own perspective in our own home in our own hearts and so I want to look
 I had a few things first first I want to say this though Christians in this time in this socio-political firestorm in this time of uncertainty and confusion should be the most level-headed and the most sober and the most self-controlled group on the planet right now we should be the ones demonstrating joy and peace not the depression or the worry or the anxiety that so commonly seen in moments like these in the culture no not disregarding the difficulty of the time that were in this isn't easy but ultimately Christians must be should be the Billboards of Hope in our communities
 and I want to take a look at some scripture in 1st Peter that and it's Biblical context is about how Christians are to respond to persecution with hope but I want applied Peters obstruction in this passage for responding to all trials with hope including this one and I do think there is a strong biblical argument from James from Peter from Paul about doing so his passage in 1st Peter it's 1st Peter 3 13 through 15 lot of you guys know this passage
 first 13 it says now who is there to harm you if your zealous for what is good but even if you should suffer for righteousness sake you will be blessed have no fear of them nor be troubled to put in your hearts honor Christ the lord as holy always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asked you for a reason for the hope that is in you yet do so with gentleness and respect so one thing I want to point out is
 is it basically the response of the Gospel is a reactive work meaning that people are going to see something in you and going to ask you and you need to be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that's in you and so when people are not asking you questions about Jesus it's an it's an evidence that basically you're not displaying anything that would drive curiosity and that's a problem
 when you show hope and hard situations that will drive to reality when the culture at large no longer has questions for the church at large that becomes an even bigger question when the church looks so much like the culture that the culture stops being curious about the church that's a big problem that we have to deal with
 but I want to talk about Justice in a in a prospective within the the coronavirus and I guess the underlying theological message here the less and I would say as anyone can display hope in a hopeless situation but through Christ we as Christians to display hope and what looks like a hopeless situation and the principal reminds me of Jesus's words Matthew 546 he says if you love those who love you what reward do you have to not even the tax collectors have the same basically saying like there's nothing special about loving the lovable
 what's special is being able to love the unlovable to have hope in the midst of hopelessness to have joy in the face of suffering to have a light in the middle of the dark to have peace in the middle of the storm this is what Christians do this is what causes curiosity always be prepared to give it a fat to give an answer for the hope that didn't you had to do so with gentleness and respect
 it's a first Peter that passage hope it's suffering and uncertainty is Evangelistic because it's not natural It's Supernatural it causes people to be curious that causes people to ask why how can you have joy and not worry and what to me feels and looks like misery like how can you have hope in this situation that looks so dark and hard I just lost my job I I can't feed my family into unless I go get a second thing over here I don't know where I'm going to where I'm going to sleep next month because my rent isn't going to get paid these are legitimate worries I might my grandfather is sick and and my child has in a compromised immune system how can you remain hopeful
 well it's through Christ we do that in the answer centrally I think is founded upon the character of God
 I sure as Christians we know that we have purpose in our suffering we we know that we have no condemnation at our death which gives us great joy we we know that we have eternal life through our faith through our Reliance on our trust in Jesus Christ Philippians 1 23 through 24 says I am hard-pressed between the two my desire is to depart and be with Christ for that is far better but to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account on the account of his ministry to do here basically the worst thing that can happen to us as Christians death is actually the best thing that could happen to us as Christians because we will be with Christ
 and our hope fully rest upon
 not just these promises but God's word and and the two are one but the Bedrock of My Hope isn't only these verses about suffering and hope the Bedrock of My Hope Is In God himself
 and what I mean is you know that we have hope because God is a hopeful God it's not only that he says in scriptures you know specifically talks about hope it's in everything that he is he's a hopeful God God is a god of Hope and it's demonstrated and everything that he's ever done hope is rooted in character God is Hope
 and when the hopelessness of our world is Raging because of uncertainty and confusion and concern we as Christians have hope not because we know exactly what God is doing but because we know who got is I'ma say that again we can have hope not because we know exactly what God is doing but because we know who got is we know the character of got we know the history of God we know the heart of God we know God relationally we don't need
 to have control or have complete understanding or have the details of what's occurring in our world to have hope we don't need to chase prophecies conspiracy theological series and decoded political information why that are constantly pushing out all their different interpretive prophecies on this passage in that passage and I go okay with looking at scripture and looking at our time to try to make a confident the illogically accurate evaluation of what's possibly happening right now but people become obsessed they want to know because they want control the cake they want understand deeply and that's not necessarily what we need we need to actually just rest in what God is doing even if we don't understand specifically what's going on because we know who God is
 I want to give you an illustration that I heard from Paul Washer that I think might help clarify the point that I'm trying to make
 what you say that you had a friend for like 20 to 25 years is a long-term friend this is a brother in the Lord he's been with you thick and thin you've seen him Faithfully serve other family you seem serve God for decades and decades
 let's just say that you haven't seen him for two years but he walks in your house it's at 8 I need to borrow your truck and without a word you just tossed him the keys to your brand new $60,000 Toyota Tundra I don't need to know what he's doing exactly because I know who he is I know his character it doesn't matter what he's doing it'll be honorable because he is Honorable
 I think that same principle is true with God we can have hope in uncertainty and ambiguity not because I know exactly what God is doing no it it's because we know that the character of God is good and we know him so well that our hope is found it in the reality that whatever he is doing is good and righteous and just and trustworthy
 but most of all I want to talk about that you know we can trust that every single thing that is happening in our world is working together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose at the Romans 8:28
 and I'm
 I don't know who coined the term the great but Romans 8 is probably one of the greatest passages of scripture to be reading right now in this season
 it's that passage that Paul writes those beautiful words for I consider that the sufferings of this present time or not worthy of comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us he continues seen a few verses later in verses 28 I just set it by memory a second ago I'm going to read it right here and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose because all the same verse 31 What then shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all how will he not also with him graciously give us all things who shall bring any charge against God's elect it is God who justifies
 who is to condemn Christ Jesus is the one who died but more than that who was raised who was at the right hand of God who who who indeed is interceding for us who shall separate us from the love of Christ in or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or dangerous or no and all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us right I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come to our powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our lord guys this
 is a huge promise to stand on in times of uncertainty what a great hope that we have what a great opportunity to put these truths on display for the world the Great 8 just go and smother your brain in that passage of scripture if we're learning anything in this pandemic were learning of man's fear and Mansfield death and man's desire for control were learning of mint lack of hope we're learning of man's need for information it's our duty to see this moment and offer the only solution to remove that fear this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ to know that we have a sovereign God who is over all of these things who cares for us it was working all things together for those who love him when we rest in that we can be hopeful in any situation regardless of our circumstances and that's the beautiful thing about the gospel I don't have
 conditional hope I don't have conditional Joy I don't have conditional courage I don't have conditional obedient I have all of those things in all times because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
 and and I don't mean just goal of people with these show a Democrat these truths I don't just mean kind of be the good neighbor those are important things I want you to actually proclaim the actual gospel message I want you to actually read scripture and proclaim the truth of scripture maybe on the internet maybe your friend maybe in an email maybe to a neighbor whatever it takes but we talked so much about gospel preaching and and the Great Commission is not the great suggestion love your neighbor that's not the gospel love your neighbors not the gospel
 Christian's love their neighbor because of the Gospel but the reality is you still have a responsibility to go share the actual gospel message to talk about the hope that comes in scripture to look at the doctor in the truth we see in the good book and remind people of those things and talk about why you have hope and why they might not have hope in those times so that's my prayer for you and this matter that the Lord gives you a moment to serve him in proclamation in actual discussion in the demonstration of these truths to the point that people actually come and look at you and ask you and are curious about your life in about your family in about your business and about your ministry because your look different you act different you think different you are difference because you're reading
 let's pray and all you lost a short announcement
 animal clothes out father we thank you for your trousseau. We thank you that you're a hopeful God and that you have given us the passages of scripture that we might lean in to that truth and that you're good and you're just in your trustworthy and because of those things of who you are we don't need to know the details of every single thing father but we can trust and we can be faithful to the commands that you have given us in scripture father I ask that you would bless every single person that's listening right now with an opportunity to display it to demonstrated to proclaim the gospel father that you would use these men and women to widen the border of your kingdom father we pray for courage we pray for boldness repay for conviction that would bring your church to a place a demonstration that people would be looking and saying wow you guys are different there's something different and they're not going to see us are going to see Christ in US father
 but I pray for that in Jesus name amen
 guys thank you for listening this episode I hope it's helpful and fruitful I ask that you guys would continue to pray for our ministry and supporting our ministry were continuing to launch new ministry funded projects that we can continue using as products to keep the ministry going we we ask that you would continue to pray for our ministry there was a lot of work coming for us because as the church is changing and more people are interested in how stretching we are in a unique position to serve the church and that way I can just pray for us in that capacity and pray consider supporting us if the Lord so allows you to permit you to do so again if you are struggling with the cinematography remember that we launched at Nucor such as a new product that funds are Ministry standing victory.org to check that out and if you wanted to read the article about the local church again that link is Saint Justin's.
 Ford stock coronavirus all right guys next week we will be back with both Veronica and I on a great topic for real Christian until next time take care
 thank you for joining us on this episode of real Christianity real Christianity is an audio Ministry of relearn church.org if you'd like more information on how to live out a Biblical life relearn church.org host a variety of Articles podcast sermons and videos to support your journey real Christianity is 100% listener-supported Ministry and if you'd like to support our efforts simply click the Donate tab at relearn church.org you can also connect with both Veronica and I on Instagram Facebook and Twitter for daily lessons and Bible teaching thank you for being with us today we hope to see you next Wednesday for another episode of real Christianity