As I prayed this morning I was impressed by how COVID has displayed the danger the Church and Christians as a whole are in.
We have been willing to stay away from our buildings of worship in exchange for some congregations and pastors using and even starting online services to get their message out to the public. This is something we should have been doing anyway. Thank God for those who have. The rest of us were dragged kicking and screaming into the present to be “lights on a hill.” Thank God for this Luke 21:20-24 warning.
Some of these new services will continue, as they should. But this very continuity will cause some laodicean church-goers to remain at home to their own spiritual detriment. Still, our greatest calling is to “go and make disciples.” And for the time being, the best way for us to go is to get online. That is where the great masses are sitting and searching.
Did you notice that it has been done with no one in the church building! Is that symbolic of the fact that many of our churches wouldn’t allow the pastor/leadership to come into the computer age to reach the world? Praise God that this virus has forced us to move into the public space to share the Gospel.
Many churches prevent their pastors from doing it, often for no other reason than, “I don’t want to be seen on anybody’s computer.” It is the same as the usually unspoken complaint, “I don’t want to be seen on anybody’s doorstep.” But some pastors have now done it on your own when the church didn’t want to “Go.” Congratulations! Praise God for those who are answering the call. Imagine how much better we would be doing this if we had begun ten years ago.
Our present neglect is that we have not developed ways other than Facebook and YouTube to get our message out. We already have indications that these avenues will probably be removed from us (just as we are getting into using them – or maybe because we are) when the times get tough. The gatekeepers of these businesses will find a way to keep our message from being declared from their platforms. They are already doing it to some degree. Are you a techie? Teach us.
This is in many ways the surrounding of Jerusalem to which we must pay concerted attention. This will pass, and when it does, we will have a short time to accomplish what we should have been doing all along. Will we take advantage of this warning, or will we retreat back into our brick and mortar castles and wait for them to crumble around us?
This tendency is much more dangerous to us as a church and as individuals than the women’s ordination issue. It is attested to by the fact that at every level of the church, WO (on both sides of the issue), while important, has taken our time and attention away from our mandate.
Men and women, teens and children, each have a ministry to perform. Let’s not wait for the government to pay our pastors, or for someone to give us permission from somewhere below ‘on high’ to be witnesses. “Go into the internet and make disciples.”
If nothing else, simply share your testimony.
“This is what Jesus means to me…”
The ‘Other’ Wagner
(Dr. Gary Wagner).
Dr. Gary Wagner has served as a pastor and chaplain, and has lived and worked in seven countries on several continents and visited many more. This journey has given him rich insights on the meanings and origins of life. His unique perspective of life and Scripture provide meaningful answers to the questions you may be asking today.” Gary is also an author and founder of Valor Life.