Faithful Testimony In Times Of Trouble (and coronavirus)

Dear NLBC Family

We are all very aware of the coronavirus pandemic that is affecting many places across the world and has also recently has impacted Canada and areas close to where we are. I wanted to give two pointers on how we can respond to this event as a community of faithful Christians. We will continue to monitor the situation and update everyone as needed.

Follow best practices for health and hygiene

All of us need to be wise and obey the authorities God has placed over us, especially in times like these. As of now, the public health agency of Canada says that the risk to Canadians is still low (https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html). The advice of health practitioners is to practice proper hygiene and take necessary precautions at home and in our communal gatherings. Some things to remember for us at NLBC:

1. Maintain proper bodily hygiene like washing our hands regularly with soap and warm water 
2. Follow the processes for the fellowship time, such as only using the utensils provided to serve yourselves snacks and refreshments (and avoid the use of hands to do so.) 
3. If you are sick (or someone in your care is sick), it would be prudent to stay home and recover.

These practices should not be thought of primarily as self-protection but should arise out of our commitment to love our brother and sister more than we love ourselves.

Trust in the Lord at all times (especially at this time)

The Word of God encourages us that we are not to worry and be anxious like the world; we recognize that we belong to God who rules over all things, including our health. Times like these provide us opportunities to really test the strength of our convictions and our trust in the Lord.

1. So do not be anxious. When the world is helter skelter, Christians remember the word of our Lord in Luke 12:25. " And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"  Instead, let us demonstrate our trust in the Lord by resting in his providential care.
2. Pray without ceasing. The remedy for anxiety is trust and constant prayer. Phil 4:6-7 says "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
3. Be a faithful witness. Do we truly believe that  "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil 1:21)? If we do, our testimony to the grace and glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be unceasing and we will take the opportunity to encourage and exhort each other and be a faithful witness to the gospel to our neighbors, both in word and actions.

We should thank God that in His sovereign wisdom, He has both allowed for this situation to come upon the world and yet, He still provides us the confidence that we are secure in Him.

If we have been anxious, may we remind ourselves of His peace that is available to us. If our prayers have been lacking, may this situation spur us to once again approach His throne of grace without ceasing, where we will surely find the mercy and grace to help us in our time of need (Heb 4:16)

May God bless us all. 

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