When the world around us feels dangerous and chaotic, packed with the unknown, our minds go into survival mode and get fixated on the current moment.
While there’s some good in the human tendency to be hyper-aware of our surroundings when danger and risk is present, as followers of Jesus the place we are to primarily be grounded is not the now. When Jesus steps into the picture the current moment ceases to be ultimate. It’s important, but not ultimate. Instead, the eyes of our mind and the drive of our hearts are to be beyond the here and now, settled in Christ.
The timeless faith
In Ephesians the Apostle Paul declares to the church that the primary thing true of those who follow Jesus is that we’re seated with Christ in heavenly places:
Ephesians 2:6-7
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Because our core identity is seated with Christ, we are to do what Paul tells believers to do in Colossians 3;
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Col. 3:1-4
Believer, God has put you in Jesus. He has put his Holy Spirit in you. Your life is eternally secure. You’re free from earthly worries. The state of the world now or nine months from now honestly doesn’t matter that much.
Don’t be overly concerned about the state of the world around you.
Yes, care about it and take action to do the good God has called you to (see Eph. 3) But that must not become of greater importance in your mind than the reality that you are “hidden with Christ in God.”
The timeless church
As true as this is for individual believers it is even more true of the church as a whole.
If you are a church leader don’t let your focus be determined by the circumstances around you. Instead, ground yourself and your leadership Jesus, seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly places. Our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Christianity isn’t about coronavirus or divorce or the collapse of the economy or how to navigate unemployment or the changing of our culture – though it certainly has implications for those and every other human experience – Christianity is ultimately about the God of love and his solution to the human problem in Christ.
When the church gathers we should corporately do as the Psalmist does in Psalm 121 and lift our eyes to the Lord, reminding each other of who our God is and what he has done.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
The timeless God
Don’t forget, church leader and follower of Jesus, that our God is both within and beyond this moment. He is untimely; not bound by time, and he is with you and for you. He watches over you. He will keep you. Therefore you are free to rest secure.
When you gather in this season, whether in person or digitally with the church or simply over dinner as a family, lift your eyes. Step outside of time for a moment. Remind one another of the essential truth that we are in Christ, and Christ is in us. Lift your eyes to the Lord and let his untiring care enable you to rest.
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