A Biblical Roadmap During Crisis 

#1 Repentance  

When disaster strikes, be it a tsunami, earthquake, war, severe economic pressure, or famine this is always a window of opportunity where our hearts are soft, broken, and open. It was once said that broken hearts and wounded hearts are open hearts. Crisis and disaster always lead our hearts into reflection and introspection. This is a window for repentance.

This is a time when the hearts of the nation will be open. This is a time for spiritual conversations leading to discovery of Christ. Historically the gospel expands exponentially in times of intense pressure and crisis. We ask ourselves: Am I right with God? Is my spouse? Are my children? Is my family or neighbors? 

Follow the repentance roadmap below. 

• Matthew 4:17 – From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 
• Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” 

#2 Unity | We Need Each Other 

There are 136 occurrences of the phrase “one another” in the New Testament. Our faith and our calling does not function in isolation. Our faith is interconnected. One of the most foundational elementary cornerstones of our faith is that we are a body. We are a people. We are an assembly. We are a congregation. Refuse the temptation to isolate. Reach out to your neighbor. Reach out to your brother. Your neighbor is experiencing the exact same feelings you are. Have grace with one another.

Your cashier, your clerks, your servers, all of us as a nation have experienced a traumatic event. No doubt this will be a pivotal moment in history. People are worried about their homes, family, and finances. Be kind. Be gracious. We represent a kingdom not of this world. We carry peace not from this earth. We walk in a joy not found in earthly security.  

Follow the unity roadmap below. 

• Psalms 133:1 – A SONG OF ASCENTS. OF DAVID. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 
• Luke 17:3-4 – Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he wins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 
• Ephesians 4:1-6 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 
• Ephesians 4:14-16 – so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. 
• 1 Peter 3:8-12 – Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For: “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 
• Romans 12:10 – Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 
• 1 Thessalonians 4:9 – Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 

#3 Maranatha Hope  

The fundamental sustaining factor of our faith is our blessed hope. This cannot be emphasized enough. We are cut from the fabric of eternity. It is an eternal compass that orients us day and night. There is an unsatisfactory condition built into our ethos, our faith, our core. There is an inner groan within us that keeps us forever unsettled with what our eyes can see.

We live for things unseen. That is one of the primary pillars of our hope. This is exemplified all throughout the book of Acts and the book of Revelation. The sustaining hope of a church facing extreme pressure and persecution is our hope in the age to come.  

Follow the maranatha hope roadmap below.  

• 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 – For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 
• 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 – Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 

ENDTIMES MASTERCLASS

WITH JOEL RICHARDSON

In this course, Joel Richardson surveys some of the most important and foundational passages and themes related to the subject of eschatology. From Genesis to Revelation, Joel presents a clear overview of the Lord’s prophetic plan for the ages. This course will clear away much of the fog of confusion that often surrounds the subject of biblical prophecy.

INCLUDES 13 CLASSES – LEARN MORE

NEXT – Must Read and Timely Word from Mike Patino, CEO at GCM!