gun control

Church shooting tragedy in Texas

GOD TV joins the Body of Christ in mourning the death of 27 of our brothers and sisters in Texas. These are the latest victims in a horrific church shooting by a lone gunman. Our hearts go out to the families of all those who have lost loved ones. This includes the pastor, Frank Pomeroy and his wife who lost their teenage daughter, Annabelle. Furthermore, several children are among the dead.

In addition to the 27 innocent people he killed, the gunman injured about the same number of people and we pray for their full recovery. God’s Word says that when one hurts we all hurt. We pray for every person affected, that the Holy Spirit will comfort them as only He can. We pray each family will feel the love and support of the Church worldwide. Let’s surround them with prayer at this sad time.

^“And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26)

The news networks are full of reports about the church shooting. The authorities have named Devin Kelley as being responsible for the attack. Allegedly, the 26-year-old has a history of violent abuse. Reports say he was discharged from the US Air Force for assaulting his wife and child. Apparently, his in-laws attend First Baptist Church.

The media are assessing the incident in terms of gun control, however, President Trump has said it is the result of a mental health problem. Whatever the reason for this senseless attack, we mourn the awful loss of life in every respect. It is, however, encouraging to see believers praying for each other and encouraging one another on mainstream TV.

We must pray against church shootings

This latest Texas church shooting is not the first. In fact, it seems such incidents are on the increase. There have been incidents in Antioch, Tennessee; Charleston, South Carolina; Wichita, Kansas; and Denver, Colorado. Churches have also been soft targets for terror attacks in places like Egypt. While our thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with those in Sutherland Springs, Texas at this time, we must pray against all attacks on churches of all denominations. The enemy is clearly out to destroy the family of God but Jesus said He would build His Church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

How to come to terms with tragedies like a church shooting

For those who are struggling with the shock and horror of this attack, read this recent post on our blog.  Safety in God: How Can We Trust Him When Others are Harmed?

As the blog post says, “Christians are not exempt from pain and suffering, however, through our faith in Jesus, we have the strength to handle anything that comes our way. God’s grace is sufficient in all situations. Trusting in God is at the core of being a believer and that means standing in faith that He will come through for us no matter what.”