It is difficult to believe that just a couple of months ago our city was shut down for approximately five days. The winter storm that slammed Texas came very close to knocking down our grid. Many people in San Antonio, as well as Texas, were without power and internet for days, while some had intermittent power and internet. Many stores were not open and when they were opened, most needed supplies were already gone. It was a 'hundred year storm.' Many in San Antonio were not prepared. Many have said they were prepared in varying degrees, but learned about areas they would need to address if something like that happened again.

Question: If you were given exact detail of all that would happen when that storm hit, in advance, and for the sake of argument, suppose that 'advance notice' was given six weeks before, and again, you knew exactly the what this storm would produce and do, would you have done things differently? 

I'm sure you can think of things you would have had on hand, or things you would have had more of, on hand, and I'm sure you would have made necessary adjustments. 

There is a very significant cultural and spiritual storm on the horizon. The warning signs have been present for years, though largely ignored by professing Christians and churches. It will, in all likelihood, cause much damage and be a time of testing for many professing believers and many churches. This storm is absolutely secular, and yet, there is that profound spiritual aspect to it all. 

I do not write these things to scare you. Far from it! I am not a prophet as in the sense of 'foretelling.' I am simply passing along to you what I see from spending about a year in study on these issues, and about the past six months writing on them. My prayer is that this would be a wake up call for Christians to return to Christ wholeheartedly. The time for that is now, not when the storm hits. 

We begin a three part sermon series this weekend, entitled "Standing Firm in the Storm," that will be addressing these issues. The first week is an overview. The second week we will examine some of the components of this storm and examining them in light of Scripture. The third week we will look at the evangelical church in America and look at the things we must address if we are to stand firm in the days and years ahead. 

The sermon series will be preached in both the Saturday service (5:00 p.m.) and the Sunday service (11:00 a.m.). 

The good news of course: Our God is Sovereign over the storm. We need not fear or be anxious. However, this is the time for us to awaken from our slumber. 

I hope to see you in services.

Grace to You,

Pastor