A Pastor’s Thoughts: Double Down 

By Pastor Wayne Sibrava, Living Water Baptist Church, Owego —

The phrase “double down” means to increase your commitment to a particular course of action or belief, often in a more determined way.  

On December 5, 1982, I was ordained to the Gospel ministry. On that day, I received a charge, after having been grilled on Bible doctrine, to preach the Word of God, to love people, and to help them live a life that honors God. I can remember the day as though it was yesterday.

I have determined to stay faithful and true to this charge. Every day, I remind myself to “double down” on the charge that I was given almost 43 years ago.  

First and foremost, I’m to preach the Gospel, which is: 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (NLT) 3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. Preaching the Gospel enables people to be able to make life’s most important decision, which is to know for sure that when they die, they will go to heaven. A person may not believe in heaven or hell, but the fact of the matter is that you can’t stay here. We will all die and go into eternity.  

Second, my charge was to love people and to help them live the Christian life. I’ve heard it said, and it’s true, that God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. I’ve also heard it said that the Christian life is not lived based on explanations but on promises.

There are hundreds and hundreds of promises given to us in the Bible. One of the most important statements that Jesus ever said was this: John 10:10 (KJV) 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The word “life” doesn’t mean physical life, but spiritual life, and it speaks of a quality of living that Jesus alone can give us.  

There you have it; to preach the Gospel and love people by helping them to  live the Christian life. I trust and pray that you will double down by trusting Jesus as Lord and by focusing more and more on Him during these perilous days.