A Fresh Understanding
Mitigation. Social Distancing. Lockdown. Pandemic. COVID-19. These words on the surface seem constricting, even harsh at times. They seem to come equipped with ropes to tie us all in knots and bind our ability to live in freedom. But, in fact, for the church, those words have become Divine doors of fresh understanding. The old hasn’t been totally done away with, but the new that has surfaced is a God-send.
The Church has been accustomed to gathering together and seeking out more people to come to them. We are more familiar with invitations to a service than invitations to serve. Now, that is not a sweeping across the board judgement as if churches don’t serve. They do. But through the years it has not been their primary focus. So much so that when church gatherings became restricted, many pastors balked and their pointed fingers were raised against what they deemed government overstepping. Why? It seems the Sunday morning gathering had become their primary definition of the church. Some pastors stood defiantly against any change to the way they conducted their Sunday mornings…and at least one of those pastors ultimately died of the corona virus.
However, now, because of the aforementioned mandates, the Church has once again modeled one of God’s greatest gifts – creativity. Now, pastors who once thought the internet was simply a place to surf have discovered it is a megaphone to proclaim the gospel. Unknown people to the general public are on the web each week speaking biblical truth and telling thousands, even millions more people than typically hear, about the hope and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. More people are hearing about Jesus than ever before!
Oftentimes church-going people complain whenever changes are introduced into a Sunday morning service. They like what was, not necessarily what can be. And obviously we see that some pastors fell into that same pit of stagnation. BUT…many more have walked through the doors of opportunity and fresh understanding that were placed before us.
How about us? What has been the focus of our thinking? Because, as we know, the church is people, not the building. Are we so honed in on when the church can once again gather that we are missing the importance of going? God has never lost control of what is happening. Not once. He’s never missed a beat. Have we? We haven’t only if we are in step with God. How are we doing with the Great Commission? There are lots of healthy examples: Zoom Bible studies; meals being distributed; more calls being made to check on people; drive-in parking lot church services; and live-streaming and recorded messages available on demand on the internet. Temporary hospitals being set up; honking groups of encouragers targeting service agencies; and increased family time with more families sitting down to a meal together than has happened in years. I’m telling you, Mitigation, Social Distancing, Lockdown, Pandemic, and COVID-19 have become blessings. Don’t miss the blessing.
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” Colossians 4:5
