Running Scared: Memory Verses for Dealing With Worry, Fear, & Anxiety
The RBC leadership is thankful for the many who were able to attend last weekend’s RE:NEW conference with Ed Welch. As a help to you were (and were not) able to attend, here is a list of most of the Scriptures Dr. Welch referenced in his sessions. The beauty and power of the Word of God cannot be overstated, so great is the power of committing Scripture to memory. We pray you will commit these to memory; they are vital tools in our battles with fear, worry, and anxiety.
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” (Genesis 26:24)
“Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you where ever you; he will never leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God” (Isaiah 41:10).
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. (Isaiah 43:1)
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isaiah 49:14-16)
“Peace be with you.” (John 20:19, 21)
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
“I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper (alongside of one), to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth. …He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans.” (John 14:16ff.)
The Lord is near; 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. (Philippians 4:5-7)
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:32-34)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)
Missions at RBC: FAQ, Part 3
HOW DOES THE COMMITTEE OPERATE?
The Missions Committee meets monthly and operates mostly by consensus and discussion. The committee does not use the Roberts Rules of Order (a widely-used set of procedures for deliberative assemblies). The Missions Director develops the agenda and the Financial Secretary, Ray Baldwin, presents the financial report at each meeting. Typically, we have at least one and as many as four missionaries attend each meeting to give a report on their ministry. Only those missionaries who happen to be in our area when a meeting is scheduled attends the meeting to give a report. We typically do not bring in a missionary just to attend a meeting. Periodically, we have an actual vote on an issue. There are three issues that must be decided by an unanimous vote; taking on a new missionary, stopping the support of a missionary and making a change to the Missions Policy. These three decisions must go to the RBC Council of Elders for final approval.
WHAT IS THE RBC MISSIONS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM?
RBC has had the privilege of sending out numerous people from our congregation over the years to be full-time missionaries. In order for RBC to be the “sending church” for a missionary, that family or individual must attend RBC and go through the RBC Internship Program. This program is designed to help one get from a desire to be a full time missionary to actually getting on the foreign mission field. It is customized to tailor each applicant’s individual place in their walk with the Lord and their desired type of service, such as church planting or support work. The Missions Committee and the Council of Elders must approve all those who enter the Internship Program. Entering the program does not bind the person or the committee to any final decision and it does not guarantee future financial support. Upon successful completion of the Internship Program, the Council of Elders must give their final approval on the person becoming a full-time missionary. Each intern is assigned a personal counselor that walks through the program with them individually, makes periodic reports to the Missions Committee and holds the intern accountable for completion.
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part one)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part two)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part three)
Missions at RBC: FAQ, Part 2
HOW DOES THE COMMITTEE TAKE ON NEW MISSIONARIES?
This is by far the most difficult decision that the Missions Committee makes. When finances are available to take on new missionaries, the Missions Committee reviews a list of missionaries who have expressed interest in being considered for support by RBC. The list is prayerfully reviewed, and the Committee prayerfully picks from the list a family or two (or however many is possible to come for an in person interview with the committee.) Prior to the interview, the missionary must complete RBC’s Service Application. This application is reviewed by all the Committee members prior to the interview. After the in-person interview, the Committee prays for one month to decide whether to support the missionary. Once the committee makes their decision, and if it is a positive one, the Committee’s recommendation for support goes to the Council of Elders for final approval.
DOES THE COMMITTEE TARGET CERTAIN PARTS OF THE WORLD OR CERTAIN TYPES OF MINISTRY?
Although church planting has always been our highest priority, the answer to the question is no. We trust the Lord to lead us to the ministries and parts of the world He desires RBC to become involved with. Our desire is to “Know Christ and Make Him Known” but after much discussion and experimenting, that is as tight as a box we desire to put ourselves in.
WITH THAT AS YOUR STRATEGY, WHERE DO YOU SUPPORT MISSIONARIES AND WHAT TYPE OF MINISTRIES?
We support people in every region of the world. The ministries we support include: church planters, evangelists, Bible teachers, missionary children teachers, home and field office administration, computer operators, language translators, tribal workers, pilots, mechanics, member care providers and orphan ministry.
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part one)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part two)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part three)
The Centrality of the Gospel in the New Year
A new year is symbolic in many ways. It is commonly a time when we look back and reflect on the past year, while also looking ahead in anticipation at the year to come. We make resolutions and set goals; it is a time to refocus, renew, recalibrate. The new year is often bittersweet mixture of shame and thankfulness, regret and hope. Our reflections and anticipations during this time will often set the tone for the months ahead.
There’s something about “newness” that attracts us – whether in regard to a new year, a new job, a new car, a new gadget, a new relationship, etc. With a new thing, there’s always some level of fresh hope (and probably an undercurrent of “THIS will be the thing that really satisfies me!”) But it always goes the same way, doesn’t it? The “new” wears off – the new thing eventually just becomes the thing, and so we move on to the next new thing.
As I have been thinking through that process in my own life, I have been reminded of the centrality of the Gospel. Most of us are likely familiar with these words from Luke 2:10-11: And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Those verses provide a two-line summary of the Gospel:
1.) The Gospel is good news for the joy of all people.
2.) The Lord – the Creator God of the universe – is the Christ who comes to Earth to save.
While there is much more you can say about the Gospel than this, there is not less. The Gospel is beautiful in its simplicity, majestic in its depth, and completely unique in its purpose. There is no greater truth than the Gospel. God was kind to remind me of the centrality of the Gospel in the form of a question that has tugged at the corners of my heart and mind for the last couple of weeks – Has the “newness” of the Gospel worn off for you?
I find it common within most churches to think of the Gospel as only for non-believers, or to consider the Gospel “kindergarten Christianity.” I often fight in my own heart and mind to keep from considering the Gospel as remedial, something to move past so I can get on to something more interesting. Early in my own process of coming to know Jesus as Savior, I saw the Gospel as something new and beautiful and exiting – but there are plenty of times now when I catch myself treating it as though it were something primarily for other people.
Paul writes in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” This is a verse we tend to think of in terms of evangelism, and rightly so. We must not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus in terms of sharing it with those who do not know its great truths. However, this verse is just as applicable for Christ-followers. We must not be ashamed of the Gospel in our own daily lives.
What does it look like to be ashamed of the Gospel in such a manner? I can think of at least two ways:
- By treating it in thought and action as though it were no longer something we need. The Gospel is not something we come to terms with once, then move on to something greater, deeper, or more useful.
- By failing to consciously apply the Gospel to our lives every single day. We should daily preach to ourselves the Gospel with the goal of aligning our lives with Christ, to whom the Gospel takes us. The trajectory of our lives should be constant, joyful struggle to align our lives with His by working out the practical applications of the Gospel in every area of thought and action.
Reflecting on Gospel-centrality in a right way will always lead us to the person and work of Jesus. Christ is the whole point of the Gospel – without Him, there is no Gospel. Jesus is the good news that came to earth; God as a baby who grew into a man, lived a life we should have lived (but could not), died a death we should have died (but could not) to a penalty we should have paid (but could not). To those that believe that as good news, it is the power of God for salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. This is not a message that gets old.
Has the “newness” of the Gospel worn off for you? Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us that the mercies of God are new every day, and I can think of no clearer portrait of the mercies of God that the Gospel. May God grant us the grace to see our need for the Gospel every day and the strength to preach it to ourselves daily. May He keep us from the foolishness of thinking we can ever get past the Gospel. May our daily appropriation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ be a constant reminder that this is not a message that ever gets old.
Missions at RBC: FAQ, Part 1
Reston Bible Church desires to see solid, biblical, growing churches planted around the world. We define “missions” as a ministry outside the continental United States or a state-side ministry which supports ministries outside the continental United States. We support approximately 220 cross-cultural and national missionaries, many of whom have been raised at RBC. In this short series, Bill Hurley, Director of Missions at RBC, answers frequently-asked questions regarding our missions program.
HOW IS THE RBC MISSIONS PROGRAM FUNDED?
The Council of Elders at RBC have made Global Missions a budget line item to which they give $128,000.00 per month. Most all of this is committed and given to missionaries in monthly support. RBC currently supports 220 families around the globe. In addition to that budget figure, the program receives all monies designated to specific missionaries and all monies designated to missions in general. The designated gifts are given to the specific designated ministry. The monies given to missions in general are used by the Missions Committee to give to one-time needs of the missionaries RBC support. In the fiscal year August 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010, the Missions Committee was able to give out $50,194.00 in one-time gifts to meet specific needs of our missionaries.
The Local Missions budget is also a line item in the budget and most of the budget ($6750.00 per month) is given out each month in monthly support to the 15 various local ministries RBC supports.
WHAT IS THE MISSIONS COMMITTEE?
RBC has two separate missions committees, the Local Missions committee and the Global Missions committee. The Local Missions Committee oversees those we support who have a ministry within the 48 continental States. These include campus ministries, YoungLife, Sanctity of Life, prison ministry, etc. This committee consists of four people.
The Global Missions Committee administers those we support outside the 48 continental States. Some of the people we support are located within the 48 states, but their ministry is global. This committee consists of 15 people currently.
I do not recruit committee members. In order to serve in this ministry, the person needs to be led by the Lord. The process to join is simple – they let me know they are interested, I meet with them and I make a recommendation to the Elders and they make the final decision. Both committees, for the most part, operate by a simple majority. On a few very important issues, such as taking on a new missionary, the decision must be unanimous. I chair both committees.
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part one)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part two)
(RBC MISSIONS FAQ: click here for part three)
Running Scared
From the book Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest by Ed Welch:
Edward T. Welch investigates the roots of fear in the human soul and the ramifications of living in the grips of anxiety, worry, and dread. Welch encourages readers to discover for themselves that the Bible is full of beautiful words of comfort for fearful people (and that every single person is afraid of something). Within the framework of thirty topical meditations, Welch offers sound biblical theology and moment-by-moment, thoughtful encouragement for life-saving rescue in the midst of the heart and mind battlefield of rampant panic-stricken responses.
This comprehensive primer on the topic of fear, worry, and the rest of God will have readers retreating to scripture for invariable constancy, stalwart care, and robust comfort, instead of as Welch terms it hitting the default switch by responding with characteristic human independence, control, and self-protectiveness. Running Scared affirms that, through Scripture, God speaks directly to our fears:
- On money and possessions
- On people and their judgments
- On death, pain, and punishment
Welch’s lively text provides convincing evidences that humanity’s struggle against active and dormant fears are countless. The good news is that God provides both the remedy and the cure for this malady in the person of Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and through powerful, life-altering promises in Scripture. Far more than merely another psychology self-help guide, Running Scared serves as a biblical roadmap to a life of serenity and security.
From a review of Running Scared by author & blogger Tim Challies:
For someone who does not consider himself much of a worrier, I was surprised to find that this book offered me a lot to think about; it offered me a challenge to see where (not if) I worry. And as it offered the biblical diagnosis, it offered also the biblical cure. It showed me that worry, though usually a hidden sin and perhaps even a sin that most often seems harmless, is a sin that impacts my life and serves to distance me from the God who says time and time again, “Do not be afraid. Peace be with you. The Lord give you peace.” It showed me most clearly of all that the way I feel about fear and worry is a sure indication of what I believe about God.
Read Challies’ complete review here.
Running Scared is available in the RBC Bookstore as a staff-recommended resource for Christ-centered growth.
Please also consider joining us for our annual RE:NEW conference, featuring Dr. Welch. Click here for conference information.