Well, life is certainly different today than it was just a few short weeks ago, isn’t it? Emotions are running high, fear and worry dominate the daily news, and Americans are dealing with the unnerving reality of being told what they can and cannot do and where they can and cannot go.
Yes…these are difficult days, are they not?
In addition to the countless businesses being forced to shut down, many churches have been forced to close their doors as well, at least temporarily.
For those determined to conduct church services, this has necessitated a move to more creative methods of ministering to our congregations. Facebook Live, radio, YouTube videos, even ‘parking lot’ church are all examples of how churches have had to think outside the box.
Here in Florida, our Governor has included attending church services in the “essential” category, meaning that houses of worship may remain open as usual, with the caveat that worshipers stay a safe distance apart from one another.
Naturally, this decision has been received in either one of two ways. On one hand, you have those who are cautiously elated at the prospects of assembling together again for worship. Then there are those who think this was just about the worse decision that could have been made. Like most things in life, I guess it depends on which side of the fence you happen to be standing on.
While I readily admit that the current environment has thrown us all for a loop, it is a curious thing to me that so many in the church still cling to the notion that the church is the building that they attend services in.
The truth is, that is simply not correct. The church has never been a building, a temple, or a cathedral. The Church has always been you and me. It has always been those people who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
All of this gives me reason to suspect that what I’ve longed believed is true: the Church has lost its identity. We have supplanted the truth that we are the church with the error that the church is a building.
Looking at it another way, the church has adopted the very same mindset that the citizens of this country have adopted when explaining the nucleus of our government. “We The People” has been tossed aside in favor of the government being more readily identified as a conglomeration of buildings in Washington D.C.
This isn’t a mere play on words, nor is it a simple issue of semantics. This is a very important issue for several reasons, not the least of which is that the Church was never intended to become an institution, or a building.
Institutions are typically cold, lifeless, bureaucratic entities that exist (hopefully)to serve the greater good of society. This does not describe the Church that we read about throughout the New Testament!
The Church is a living extension of the Lord Himself. As such, we ought to be asking ourselves if Jesus were here today, how would he respond to the current worldwide crisis?
Would Jesus shutter himself behind locked doors and close all of the blinds? Would He sequester himself apart from every person on the planet?
Would he refuse to heal the sick out of fear on contracting COVID-19? Would he turn away the hungry mother who cannot feed her children?
Would he turn out into the streets the struggling family who suddenly find themselves without a steady stream of income? Would he run to the store and hoard as many necessities as possible?
Well, the Good News is that Jesus is here today! He lives in each and every one of his children. So the question of WWJD, is actually a question of what are we doing to respond to this crisis?
Since it is an established fact that you and I are the Church, the hands and feet of Jesus, and not some ornate building, wouldn’t you agree with me that right now the Church should be leading the efforts to minister to and provide for those who are in dire need today?
Wouldn’t this be a great opportunity to release some of the excess funds in our church treasuries in order to make a difference in the lives of people, the people that Jesus died for?
Perhaps you have heard about the church in Cincinnati that recently paid over $46 million dollars of medical bills for 45,000 families? Why should this be an aberration? Shouldn’t this be the norm?
As I keep reminding people whenever I can, as Christians we either are what we claim to be or we are not. There is no middle ground here. Either we are Christ’s representatives here on earth, or we are not.
We cannot be Christian only when everything is going well in our lives. We cannot say we are followers of Christ and not follow Him wherever he may lead us…and that includes the current crisis we are experiencing.
Please understand me, I am certainly not advocating that you run straight to your nearest hospital and expose yourself to this virus. Absolutely not! We must be wise in times like these. We must follow the mandates of our local leaders. We must not do something that will prolong the crisis or put others in jeopardy.
Neither can we live in fear and torment however. We cannot be The Church if we are hiding behind closed doors. No, it is time for the true Church to arise. It is time to cast off the spirit of fear that is paralyzing our churches and leaving us incapable of serving others.
My prayer is that all of us would consider the needs of others during this time, and that we would remember that Jesus has called us for such a time as this to go forth and minister to them.
That’s what Jesus would do.
Ron
Apr 05, 2020 @ 23:44:44
Another wonderful post, Ron! Yes, WE are the Body of Christ. The buildings in which Christians ordinarily worship (however beautiful some of them may be) are just that…buildings. We are the living, breathing heart of the church.
I had not heard about the Crossroads Church. Thank you for sharing that story.
May God keep you and your family safe. We are all of us in His loving care.
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Apr 06, 2020 @ 14:25:33
Praying the Lord’s protection over you my dear friend!
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Apr 06, 2020 @ 14:41:55
Meant to say also that I am so blessed to have connected with you Anna. You have been such an encouragement to me over these years. At times I have grown weary and discouraged but the Lord chose you to post just the right thing to lift my spirit again. I praise God that he still has a few obedient children such as yourself.
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Apr 06, 2020 @ 17:45:37
Thank you for your kind words, Ron. I feel the same about you, my friend.
I came very close to shutting my blogs down earlier this year. The world is growing darker, and the love of many Christians growing cold, as the Bible predicted (Matt. 24: 12). That can be profoundly discouraging, especially if we measure our “success” by worldly standards.
We must try and keep our eyes on Christ. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities (Eph. 6: 12). For a time, they will win. But, in the end, the Lord God will triumph.
In fact, He has already won.
Blessings,
A.
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Apr 06, 2020 @ 13:31:39
Thanking God for this wonderful encouraging post! I am so glad to learn of your blog, Ron🙂. I signed up to get emails today.
I found you due to a comment by Anna Waldherr over at Michael Clarke’s site https://awildernessvoice.blog/2020/04/05/walking-by-the-spirit-regardless-of-the-world-around-us/
(I do not have a blog on WordPress so can’t click on ‘Like’ unfortunately…)
WWJD INDEED! For the last week I have been staying with one of my sisters and we were in her neighborhood yesterday. She intro’d me to a neighbor and when my sister ended her walk I wanted to walk some more and again came upon the neighbor. We walked together and the Lord answered my morning’s request to “make me HIS life to someone today”! So cool! Nothing forced, just Jesus letting her know He heard her cries and providing His living water at another “WELL”. New Opportunities to minister Christ are where we might least expect them🥳. I had already been prayer walking this neighborhood previously and ‘walking’ in the Spirit is becoming literally true LOL. Imagine how many the Lord will reach as a result of this virus slowing down so many lives! Thrilling! We are blessed to be a blessing…
Blessings to you and your family and all the saints here in our wonderful Lord Jesus’ name! Judi
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Apr 06, 2020 @ 14:26:46
Welcome Judi, and thank you for the kind words!
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Apr 06, 2020 @ 14:38:31
Judi, I too have been given new opportunities that I otherwise would not have had. For example, this virus has prompted my church to start a radio broadcast. I have done the first two and am amazed at the response from several truck drivers. I even have an atheist listening and he enjoyed the broadcast. Not only that, the producer at the station even shared with me about his church upbringing. Who knew people even listened to the radio these days? What the enemy intends for evil, God will turn around and create a positive out of the negative if we give it to Him.
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Apr 06, 2020 @ 17:15:30
Great post Ron.
We can make a difference, even from a distance..
Shine the Light that Jesus has put within us!
I pray that through these troubled times, non-belivers would stop and listen to the word of God that holds all the answers.
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Apr 06, 2020 @ 19:18:12
You are so right Mary Ann. We CAN make a difference, and that is exactly what Satan wants to discourage us. He knows we hold the answer to what this world so desperately needs!
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Apr 12, 2020 @ 13:35:37
Happy Easter, my friend!
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Apr 12, 2020 @ 20:47:33
Happy Easter to you Anna. I had intended to post this weekend but my pastor was rushed back to the hospital early Saturday morning. Needless to say, my schedule sudden became too full to think about my blog. Thankfully, pastor is doing much better and they have finally figured out the source of his problem and he is currently being treated accordingly. Have a great week my friend!
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