The Christian Response to the Coronavirus
Over the last few months, a new term has been sweeping the nation - “Pandemic.” It’s a scary term - one that incites emotions such as fear and uncertainty. It does not have to be that way, though.
For the church it is an opportunity to display our faith in God and our belief that He is the same God now as He was before this virus entered onto the scene. I am just like you. I have many doubts, questions, and concerns. One element sustains me: my overriding trust in my loving God.
This is not the time or the forum to discuss any issues such as medical needs, government response, or human reactions. With these and many other similar issues, I will confess my inadequacies and my limitations in knowledge. What I can give is hope. As many have previously said, “I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I do know Who holds tomorrow.” I agree. I believe we, the church, has at its disposal a great opportunity to stretch ourselves and see ministry in very different way now.
The church is now realizing that the “body” is, in fact, the people of the church. I have always thought the single most paralyzing aspect to church growth is the 4-walled building. When Believers began building these monstrous ornaments at the dawn of the Enlightenment Period, our vision of the church shrank from a “body” to a “building.” Now, it is hard to see the church even functioning outside of the walls of the physical church. I’ve been told many times, “Now, we’ve never done this that way before…” (Ugh.) No, and there has not been a Pandemic to sweep across our nation in recent history before, either. Be Flexible. In the next few months, you may be asked to do some pretty uncomfortable things such as have “Sunday School” at different venues, on different days (gasp!), and in unique ways. This may make (even me!) uncomfortable, but God is telling His church to allow Him to move in His ways and in His time.
Nowhere in Scripture does it say that worship must be at 11am as well. (I looked.) Sunday School does not have to be at 10am on a Sunday. Nowhere in the Bible does it even say that Sunday School must be taught on a Sunday! We have found that out as I now preach on Thursday mornings to upload on the internet to have the capability to be seen by just short of 1 billion people. Do you think this is what Jesus had in mind when He said, “Go you into the entire world….” In this virtual church world, no matter where we meet, we are the church. Just because our mindset is we’ve “always done it this way” doesn’t mean that it works today!
So, what do we do now? I’m going to give you 5 helps for you to try and digest. (Try taking little bites and at least 3 chews for some of them.)
1. Keep Praying - Pray “without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
2. Keep Going - Jesus, just before He arose to Heaven, repeated these words: “Go, therefore and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19-20)
3. Keep Growing - Jesus states, “I have come that they may have (life) more abundantly.” (John 10:10) The Virus is no excuse for apathetic words or behavior - just the opposite!
4. Keep Giving - Give to the church out of the abundance God has given to you. Give of your time. Give your financial resources. Give of your prayers. Give of yourself.
5. Keep Living - Place your focus on Christ! (2 Chronicles 20:12)
I am comforted by the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 91:1-2, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Whatever your need, the answer is Jesus.
Whenever you need it - the answer is Jesus.
However you need it - the answer is Jesus.