Newsflash: We are in unprecedented times. No person alive today has ever had to wade the waters of social distancing in the ways that we are currently and it creates so many issues that I can’t even begin to list them all here. One pressing issue that all Christians will face in the coming weeks or months will be the trajectory of their own spiritual journey. Will our pursuit of holiness become stagnant, or worse, will we begin to backslide? Will we become lazy and worrisome instead of committed and trusting? Will we forego Bible reading for Netflix and news channels? How we handle the current season spiritually will be a true indicator of our walk with Jesus and there are several things that must not be abandoned as we aim to be and make disciples in this unknown and trying time. So, I encourage you join me today by being proactive to not give up these things while we await the return of normalcy:
- Don’t Forsake Your Pursuit of Jesus
This may be the most obvious one, but the truth is that many people will pull the reigns back a bit on their spiritual lives because of social distancing. However, the opposite needs to happen. The gas pedal needs to be pushed to the floor with no use of cruise control. The lack of biblical fellowship with our church families will leave a void of accountability, structured Bible study times, and so much more, and the result will be open holes for Satan to forcefully plow in. Unfortunately, it’s likely that you won’t be asked about your prayer life, scripture memory, or Bible reading while isolated from those whom you have covenanted with in church membership and we must be proactive to do all these things and more. A few ideas that may help would be to begin a new Bible reading plan, pick up that Christian growth book on your shelf that you’ve been planning to read, or use RightNow Media or YouTube to find Christian content like sermons, video Bible studies, or musical worship videos. There are an abundance of ways to do this, but above all, stay in the Word. Nothing will nourish our souls more during times like this than to commune with Christ in His Word. - Don’t Forsake The Great Commission
The word “unless” does not appear at the end of Matthew 28:20 and this alone is reason enough to not let this temporary shift in our lives cause us to ignore His mandate to make disciples of all nations. What undoubtedly will change is the way that we live out the Great Commission. In the coming weeks we will see churches get creative in the way they serve, equip and love people and that creativity will need to extend to the individuals in the church body. Maybe it’s going to the store for a neighbor or holding an in-home Bible study. Perhaps this season of change will provide a needed opportunity for you to be focused on discipling your family where you can create some new norms for the future. Whatever the route, don’t forego living out the Great Commission. We didn’t sign up for an “unless” when we took up our cross. - Don’t Forsake Worship
I am a big fan of worship music (just for kicks my favorites include Shane & Shane, Cityalight, and Matt Boswell). However, one of the negative side-effects that have come out of the growing worship music scene is the misunderstanding of the term “worship”. Too often we hear the word used as a one- word descriptor of the musical element in a church service such as “what are we singing for worship today?” or “worship was good this morning!”. Maybe now, more than any other time in recent history it is crucial for us to understand that worship is so much more than a song. Warren Wiersbe says “Worship is the believer’s response of all they are – mind, emotions, will, body – to what God is and says and does”. If worship is our response to who God is, what God says, and what He does then worship should incorporate all that we are, say, and do. Don’t let the misrepresentation of the act of worship lead us to think that since we won’t be taking part of congregational singing then you can’t worship. Worship takes place when we use our giftedness to serve Him and others, when we spend time outside and awe at His creation, or when we open His word. There are no limits to the ways we can worship when we do it in recognition of His glory and goodness. He is a gracious and sovereign God who is worthy of all our worship. - Don’t Forsake Your Commitment to the Church
There are two different aspects of this commitment. First, our commitment to serve the church with our gifts does not end because the doors of the building are not open. When we join a church, we covenant to serve God and one another together, we don’t simply covenant to serve a building. If all our church’s walls fell down tonight we would still be a church. Therefore, we are still obligated to serve one another in each and every opportunity that presents itself. Do you know someone that you think could use an encouraging phone call? Call them. Do you know an elderly person who may need you to run some errands or help around their home? Check on them. Be the church. Secondly, when we covenant with a church we are committing to helping fund the ministry of the church. The church continues to play a vital role in this season, a role that is increasing in importance with each passing day, and ministry will still need to take place. God’s design has always been that His work would be carried out and funded by His people. As hard as it may be, we must not forsake our financial commitment to fund the work of the church.
Again, these are unprecedented times we are living in and, in a way, we are all kind of winging it. There are many uncertainties before us and things are changing each day. What we can trust from God is that, despite our unknowns about the near future, He has not and will not change. And with His constancy comes the promise of hope. Let’s all make a commitment to remain steadfast in these convictions despite what the world around us is pressuring us to do.
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