On 100 Huntley Street’s first dedicated episode to COVID-19, Cheryl Weber and Mark Masri sat with Bruxy Cavey, Senior Pastor of The Meeting House and Jacob Birch, Director of Church Support in the Eastern District of the C&M Alliance in Canada, who share valuable insights on how to fight fear at this critical time.

Q: How can people of faith respond in light of this dark situation?

Bruxy: Love is the answer. The church was born out of a season of adversity. Our first generations were targeted and persecuted yet still compassionate and loving. So now, it’s in our DNA to ask how we can love others and continue to show compassion during this time of persecution. This is a season for us to be our best selves and to love well.

Q: Jacob, what is your advice to pastors across Canada?

Jacob: Churches have an opportunity to minister in Jesus’ name, in accordance with government orders, and to show Christ’s love right where they are 24/7 365— not only during this crisis but going forward.

Q: How do we, as believers, address fear and panic in our own lives and try to defuse it in the lives of those around us?

Bruxy: The gospel helps us remove the fear of death by revealing that there is something even more beautiful and more wonderful waiting for us on the other side. The Kingdom of God starts now, and death is a minor transition. The major transition was us entering into the Kingdom. Once you remove death’s sting, then you can work backwards from there and say, “What’s the worst that could happen to me.” After that, you can live with a sense of peace, joy and celebration — freeing you up to love others well.

Jacob: None of this is a surprise to Jesus. In John 16:33, on the night when His disciples were panicking, Jesus said: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” As Christians, we need to remember not to paper over the fears and difficulties of others but rather act out of faith. We have this future secure, so how can we love each other and our communities in his name?

Q: How can we fight fear during this pandemic?

Bruxy: There’s this beautiful line in 1 John 4:18; it says, “perfect love drives out fear,” and the Greek verb for, drive out, is the same verb used when Jesus performed exorcisms and drove out demons. 1 John 4 is all about giving what we receive, and that flow of love into us and then through us and out to others, when perfectly embraced, drives out fear. It’s saying love will perform an exorcism of fear in your life. As we lean into the story of Jesus, we understand how loved we are and how much love we can offer others. Love exorcises fear out of our system!

Jacob: All these things that they were panicked about, He was giving them answers, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.” And this is with the love of God. Through that love, we have a peace that surpasses any newscast, fact, letter, and phone call in Jesus Christ, and this is how we can act out of faith and not out of fear.