What do you do when the unthinkable happens?
In the middle of heartbreak, scandal and controversy, the community of Gateway Church has experienced an immense amount of pain recently following the resignation of Pastor Robert Morris for his admittance to the past sexual abuse of Cindy Clemishire which began when she was only 12 years old.
In a special message to Gateway Church, Pastor Joakim Lundqvist discussed what to do when the unthinkable happens.
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Using the story of Lazarus’ death and how it impacted the lives of Mary and Martha, Lundqvist says that believers must first and foremost stay close to Jesus when troubles hit.
“When the unthinkable happens, stay close to Jesus,” Lundqvist says. “Some people run away from Him when the unthinkable happens. Run to Him.”
While Jesus may not answer all of our questions, Lundqvist says He will minister to our hearts when we are grieving and feeling completely broken.
“Let me tell you, Gateway,” Lundqvist continues, “Crying at the feet of Jesus is completely different from crying anywhere else. Coming to Jesus might not give you all the answers for all the questions that you have, but you know what? Answers will rarely heal our hearts. But the presence of Jesus will.”
The second thing Lundqvist encourages the members of Gateway Church to do is stay close to their family, community and church.
“If there is one house who suffers, if there is one house who hurts and is heartbroken, all these other people come to join,” Lundqvist says.
Lundqvist also reminded Gateway Church that in the middle of turmoil, families are meant to come together, not fall into a million pieces.
You can hear more of Lundqvist’s message of shining the light of Christ in the middle of darkness when you order his new book, “Shine Your Light” at Amazon.com.
“We are not called to be alone. We are called to be parts of a body that is called the body of Christ. That is the church, and then and only then will we find our destiny,” says Lundqvist.
Third, Lundqvist impressed upon the Gateway Church community to keep believing in Jesus’ resurrection power.
“You don’t have to have it all together. You don’t have to have all the answers. You can be sad. You can be hurt. You can be heartbroken. The only thing He asks is ‘Do you trust that He is in control?’” Lundqvist asks.
Lundqvist believes the only thing God asks of us in the middle of stormy waters when things are tough is for us to trust that He is still the God who does resurrection miracles.
“…death will always be followed by new life,” Lundqvist says. “Night will always be followed by a new day. Sorrow will always be followed by joy.”
As Gateway Church processes the darkness they have been experiencing lately, continue to uplift and pray for this community as God continues to use them to preach the gospel.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
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