Coronavirus Causes Millions To Seek God

CORONAVIRUS CAUSES MILLIONS TO SEEK GOD

2 Cor. 5:14

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. Rachel Nichols says, “Our fourth grader celebrated his birthday on crutches, so he couldn’t carry the cupcakes into school without help. So she asked her 6th grader, Noah, to help carry them in. “I could,” he said, “but I prefer not to.”

2. Rachel’s husband, spotting a teaching moment, said, “Noah, what would Jesus do?” Noah answered, “Jesus would heal little Billy so he could carry his own cupcakes!” [RD, June 2020]

B. OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME

1. Christian leader Mark Gauthier says, “This is one of the greatest moments in the history of the church for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.”

2. He’s referring to the Covid-19 virus and how it’s driven millions of people out of their comfort zones. All the things they trusted in – science, media, government, technology, medicine, etc. - proved inadequate to solve the stark problems of health survival, job security, isolation, family problems, and shortage of money.

3. So today I’m pointing out that we still have a rare opportunity to speak to friends and family about our hope in Christ and invite them to salvation.

4. The title of this message is, “Coronavirus Causes Millions to Seek God.”

I. SIGNS OF OPENNESS ACROSS THE GLOBE

A. PEOPLE BEGAN TO CRY OUT TO GOD

1. In the Philippines, a woman named Grace went to a Christian website about coronavirus fear, “Please help me not to worry about everything,” she wrote in a chat with a volunteer counselor. “What’s happening now is very confusing.” The counselor explained that only Jesus can bring lasting peace, and Grace received Jesus as her Savior.

2. In the US, a volunteer at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) chatted online with a young mother named Brittany who worried that COVID-19 would take her life and her children’s lives. The volunteer offered hope and peace, and Brittany too accepted Christ.

3. A 17-year-old named Donmere, told a chat volunteer, “I’m not really a religious person, but I don’t know who else to turn to but God.” Forty-five minutes later, Donmere was a follower of Christ and was pointed to discipleship resources.

B. SKYROCKETING INQUIRIES FOR HELP

1. Three of the largest online Christian sites (GMO, BGEA, and Cru) say the number of people seeking online information about knowing Jesus has dramatically increased since early March.

2. Global Media Outreach (GMO) saw a 170 percent increase in searches about finding “hope;” a 57% increase in searches about “fear,” and a 39% spike in searches about “worry.” Overall, there’s a 16 percent increase over 2019.

3. This surge corresponds with a University of Copenhagen study that searches about “prayer” in 75 countries skyrocketed to their highest levels in five years in March. “We are seeing millions of people open to talking about faith in the face of fear,” said Michelle Diedrich.

4. This points to the need of Christians to step up as witnesses to those who are seeking help.

II. 4 REASONS WE OUGHT TO SHARE OUR FAITH

A. JESUS REGULARLY SHARED HIS FAITH

1. Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10) and “Follow Me, and I’ll make you fishers of men” (Mt. 4:19). Jesus obviously intends for us to be soulwinners.

2. We constantly see Jesus confronting a). the Woman at the Well; b). Zacchaeus; c). Nicodemus; d). the Man Born blind; and others. He set us the example of how to conduct our lives.

3. Jesus was the Light while He was here; now we’re to be the light to those in darkness. “You are the light of the world…” Mt. 5:14.

B. WE’RE ENTRUSTED W/ THE SAME MISSION…

1. After Jesus’ resurrection He appeared to the 11 disciples and said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Jn. 20:19-21

2. The destiny of the human race was placed into the hands of Jesus. But now, Jesus has placed the destiny of other people’s lives into OUR hands. GOD IS COUNTING ON US!

3. Nothing is more VALUABLE than the human soul. Jesus said, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” Mt. 16:26 NLT.

4. WHAT LEGACY WILL YOUR LIFE LEAVE BEHIND?

a. Louis Pasteur, the pioneer of immunology, lived at a time when thousands of people died each year from rabies. Pasteur had worked for years on a vaccine. Just as he was about to begin experimenting on himself, a nine-year-old, Joseph Meister, was bitten by a rabid dog. The boy’s mother begged Pasteur to experiment on her son. Pasteur injected Joseph for 10 days – and the boy lived.