Dear Friends,

I think we can agree that the world has gone a little crazy. As I write this, Lisa and I are on lockdown in our home, along with Scotland and the entire UK. It’s a bit stunning how quickly everything went from normal to the place where nearly all national borders are closed, most flights are grounded, and over a billion people all over the globe have been told to stay in their homes.

In fact, things are changing so quickly that this is my third attempt at this newsletter. The word that I keep hearing is “unprecedented” and it fits. Never before in history have nearly all the nations of the world closed their borders at the same time. Never have such a high portion of humanity been locked down like this.

People are afraid.

But you are in Christ, and that makes you different. In Christ you have the ability to remain in perfect peace that passes understanding when all around you is reduced to chaos, fear, and strife.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." — 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

Since that is the case, what is the right way for us to respond to this global crisis?

Faith and Wisdom

Jesus told us to be wise as serpents, and gentle as doves. As I shared with our students last week via email, we absolutely do not operate in a spirit of fear. Instead, we respond with faith. And we exercise wisdom.

As I was praying about some of the decisions I needed to make last week, God took me to the temptation of Jesus in Matthew chapter 4. Take a look at the second temptation:

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"— Matthew 4:5-7 (NKJV)

In that passage the devil basically told Jesus, “If you really believe this promise of God, prove it! Put yourself at risk.”

Some are effectively saying the same thing about this sickness, that if we really believe we are healed then we should continue as normal even if it puts us at greater risk.

But Jesus didn’t go along with that plan. In fact, Jesus basically said that putting ourselves at unnecessary intentional risk is “tempting God.” Jesus makes it obvious that is not a wise course of action.

Make no mistake. I truly believe we are healed, healthy, and whole in Christ. Lisa and I have been meditating on Psalm 91 a great deal this week. I have faith in the promise of that Psalm, that no plague shall come near my dwelling. (I find it interesting this is the very Psalm the enemy quoted to Jesus too.)

Even so, we are all at various points along the journey of growing in our faith. Therefore we do well to exercise natural wisdom at the same time as we operate in supernatural faith. We need the very wisdom of God that can only flow from our intimate personal relationship with Him know exactly how to balance the natural with the supernatural in our own lives.

What We’re Doing

We’re in uncharted territory. There’s no manual on how to deal with a global pandemic. So we’re making adjustments day by day, just as you likely are too.

Fortunately for us with our Bible college campus in Dumfries, we made decisions to cancel things like our public events and mission trips relatively early. That made it easier on everyone involved because we had a little bit of time to adapt.

Because the government closed all schools, this past Saturday we hosted our first virtual live day with our students. And it was a wonderful experience. We are discovering some very effective tools that we can use. Meeting via video conferencing is not the same as meeting in person, certainly. But it is far, far better than not meeting at all.

In the natural, things look a little grim. For example, Open Days is one of our key recruiting events for new students in September. From a natural perspective, that would cause problems for our enrollment next year.

Fortunately we are supernatural people. The Bible promises that when a thief is discovered, he must restore seven times what he took (Proverbs 6:30-31). Therefore we expect we’ll have a really big intake of students in the Autumn!

Another piece of good news is that our students already do much of their studies online. We can keep that going without any interruption.  

At this point it looks like we have the tools in place so we can still complete the school year even if we are unable to meet in person between now and the summer.

NewCREEations Videos and Live Stream

You may have noticed that I started back with more short videos. I see this as an opportunity to encourage folks in the Lord. You can find them on our Facebook page and our YouTube channel.

Not only is this whole coronavirus thing a huge challenge to our health, but it is also creating massive economic repercussions throughout the entire world. Many are losing their jobs and companies are at risk of closing down. Some in the news media are already talking about tough economic times ahead.

To encourage you in this frightening time I will start a public teaching study this week which I’m calling Financial Friday. I’ll share what God showed Lisa and I about how the Kingdom of God operates in the area of our finances. Jesus provides a way for us to prosper regardless of the economic conditions around us in much the same way that He provides a way for us to retain be healthy regardless of the sickness around us.

We are purchasing some software so we can live stream these studies on Facebook and Youtube. You should be able to watch them in either location.

I plan to go live at 4pm my time on Friday. This week that will be 12pm on the Eastern Time, 11am Central Time, and 10am Mountain Time. 

As a note, we switch to daylight savings time in the UK this weekend. So the times in America will likely change some next week.

If you don’t yet have a strong faith in this area, there is no better time to start gaining more revelation about God’s promises which bless your finances. And if you don’t want to wait until Friday to get started, I highly encourage you to get a copy of my book, Rejecting Mammon. It’s now available through all sorts of retailers. You can even buy a copy from Walmart’s website!

We’ll see you on Friday!

Trip to Hungary

It’s amazing to think that only about a month ago Lisa and I were walking the streets of Budapest in Hungary. It was a wonderful trip.

We actually did get a couple days of down time in a very nice hotel there. Budapest is an incredibly beautiful city. It is very clean and the people are very nice. Lisa and I were able to see some of the sights, learn a little about the local history, and generally relax some.

Then we shifted gears into three days of meetings with our fellow Charis directors and the directors of the various national offices for Andrew Wommack Ministries in Europe.

The head of the European region graciously invited me to share for an hour on the Rejecting Mammon material. It was very well received by the other directors and several of them talked with Lisa and I about going to their locations to teach the course to their students too.

The best part was getting to know the amazing men and women who are working with this ministry all throughout Europe. They are all powerful leaders and it was an honor to get to know them a little better. Please remember them in your prayers as Europe deals with the current crisis.

What’s Ahead?

Even though we can’t see clearly how or when this whole thing with the virus will be resolved, there are some things we do know. We know that God is good. He will protect us and bless us through this storm, just like He always does.

We know that Lisa and I have an assignment from God here in Scotland. That hasn’t changed. Fortunately we have a good internet connection and can still accomplish much right here from home.

We will still move forward with our students and intend to see them complete the program on time, even if Charis needs to make a few adjustments to the requirements this year. In fact, it looks like this crisis has forced us to find tools that may help us improve our level of discipleship long after everything returns to normal in the world.

We also know that we have an opportunity right now like never before in our lifetimes. Folks are looking for answers. And a great many of them are confined to their homes.

Therefore we will continue to share messages of truth and hope about the Kingdom of God. We can touch a great many lives right now and encourage them in the Lord.

We will sort out travel plans back to the States in the summer after things settle down. For now we won’t worry about that.

Please know that ministry is still happening here at NewCREEations. God continues to show us favor and expand our sphere of influence so that more people hear about His goodness.

Lisa and I pray you and your family will remain safe during this time. Keep your focus on Jesus and remember God’s promises. Here’s an especially good one to lean on in this day:

No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;— Psalms 91:10 (NKJV)

Abundant Blessings,

Chris & Lisa Cree

P.S. We appreciate these are uncertain economic times. That’s all the more reason to press into God’s way of Kingdom giving and receiving in our finances. NewCREEaitons is good ground to sow into. If you like, you can do so here:

Online:

Mail:

NewCREEations Ministries
953 Forest Edge Rd
Woodland Park, CO 80863