We grew up saying “I’m going to church”. Later we were taught that we can’t “go” to church because we ARE the church. The church is not a building; instead it is built up by living stones (believers) and we are the temple that our God chooses to dwell in. (Which still blows my mind) I am often reminded of King Solomon’s statement, “The heavens, even the highest heaven cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)
Never has the fact that “we are the church” been tested more than now. Most of us are house bound and if we are to “go to church”, which we cannot, because it is firstly illegal and secondly impossible (refer to statement made in paragraph one), I have been asking myself, “what am I to do?” “What is my responsibility as a living stone?” I hope that you are asking the same questions and that you are not passively waiting for the lockdown to end. I hope that you are trying to think of ways to be a part of the solution.
I understand that these are difficult times and there is no end to the news of how this pandemic has impacted the world, our country and you. My prayer is, however, that we will not allow fear to paralyze us, but that we would join on this separately-together-adventure of figuring out what “church” really means in this season.
I was reading from Ephesians this morning,
“...walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” (Eph. 4:2-3)
In those two verses alone I have been challenged. During this lockdown I am staying with my parents, my sister and my 6 year old niece. We are a close-knit family and in general, really get along well, but even for us it is difficult to only have each other’s company; and to accommodateeveryone’s preferences in one house takes a lot of humility and patience.
The Holy Spirit is constantly reminding me that I should “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which I have been called”, I am a living letter (2 Cor. 3:3) and when people (especially my family) “read” my letter, I want them to see Jesus.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking:
If I am the church, what should I be occupying myself with?
1. Am I praying enough? We read in Matt.21:13; Mark 11:17 and Luke 19:46 that Jesus was very serious about the temple being called a “House of Prayer”. Then Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” My conclusion then is that Jesus is serious about the fact that we are called to be mobilehouses of prayer. Do you realise the power of prayer? Do you pray with faith? Do you pray enough? Please take this seriously. We should be seeking the Lord daily. Prayer connects us with God, but it also connects us with each other. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring people to your mind that you should pray for. You will be surprised by the people He reminds you of!
2. Am I making time to just praise God? Please remember that there is a vast difference between praise and worship. Praise is not a fast song and worship a slow one. Praising God consists of having a thankful heart, stirring up thoughts of gratitude and joy towards the King of kings. Choosing to take your thoughts and purposefully fix them on our Lord’s goodness.
Worship is a lifestyle of sacrifice and obedience. Abraham considered the act of sacrificing his son as worship (Gen. 22:5). Choosing to call a loved one and encouraging them in the Lord rather than watching another YouTube video could be considered an act of worship. Praising God instead of wallowing in your sorrow is therefore also considered an act of worship. This point then has two facets: Firstly, are you praising God and thanking Him for how good He is? Secondly, are you worshiping Him by being obedient and filling your days with spiritually constructive acts?
3. Am I spending enough time in the Word of God? I know you know this... The Bible is important, right? Is it important enough to you that you spend a portion of each day reading it? Lately I have been enjoying reading big portions of the Word. Seeing all the little well known verses in context of the big story has been helpful. Sometimes I put the audio Bible on and prayerfully listen. His Word is a gift to us and the Holy Spirit is ready for us to dive in deep so that He can reveal its treasures to us.
4. Am I giving? It’s very easy to, in a time like this, to hold on to all the extras out of fear that you won’t have anything tomorrow. Please don’t let the enemy rob you of the gift of giving. The Lord has promised that He will provide for you and when you are joyfully generous, it really makes Him happy. (2 Cor. 9:7) There might be different perspectives about giving among us, but the bottomline is that the Lord expects us to take care of one another by giving.
5. Am I using communion? Acts 2:42 says that the disciples devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. We must remember that our battle is a spiritual one and that we need to remind ourselves that Jesus has already won. The holy communion reminds me of Jesus’ victory and stirs my heart to pray, praise, worship, read His Word and to give.
6. Are you Fellowshipping? Now this is a lockdown challenge. I think it’s important to make an effort to connect with your church family. If the Holy Spirit reminds you of someone, send them a message or give them a call and don’t forget to pray for them. Reach out in all the legal ways possible. Also, don’t suffer in silence. If you have a need, make it known! We can’t help if we don’t know.
Looking at this list I sure do have a lot to do and no time to be bored!
I want to end off by saying: Don’t be too hard on yourself. Condemnation is not from God. (Romans 8:1) Allow your heart to be guided by the peace of God. Listen to His still, small voice. Imagine how exciting church life would be if all of us were to commit to this process?
Let’s close with some more of Paul’s words,
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:15-16)
Comments