The first post I did on this website for 2020 was entitled “Hope For 2020 and Beyond”. You can find it here:
http://www.scottduck.com/hope-for-2020-and-beyond/
In that article, I talked about finding hope in Christ, no matter what struggles you may have been facing going into 2020. I must confess that, when I wrote that article, I never would have thought that we would now be facing the situation that we are facing with the Coronavirus. I never thought that we would be seeing panic buying that started with toilet paper and then extended to groceries, pharmaceuticals, and many other things. I never thought that we would have to stay home in an attempt to slow the spread of a virus that the world had first seen just a month before I wrote that article. I never thought that we would now be home schooling our child, maybe for the rest of the school year. I never thought that churches would have to cancel services, with no idea when they may resume. I never thought that our speaking schedule would suddenly evaporate and that much of our ministry’s income would evaporate along with it. When I wrote that first article of the year, I never would have thought that any of this would happen and, now that it has, I must confess that it has changed my prospective, but in a positive way.
I am more convinced than ever that Christ is the only solution to our problems, both individually and as a nation. I am also more thankful than ever to Him for all the things that I had before all this mess started and for all the things that I still have. Right now, I face a lot of challenges. This is true both personally and for our ministry. I’m not worried about it though. God will equip us to deal with these challenges and along with these new challenges also come new opportunities. This is not only true for us and our ministry. This is true for the Christian Church in general. If you are a child of His, it is also true for you personally.
I have a few simple thoughts that I would like to share. First, let’s look at some Scripture, in order to get ready to look at some Scripture.
Psalm 119
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
James 1:
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
With the previous verses in mind, I ask you to read the following verses. I ask you to read them and re-read them and ask God to help you to really take them to heart. They are very familiar to many of us but, given things like the disobedience to CDC guidelines and the panic buying we are currently seeing, many of us are not living as though we actually believe them.
Romans 13
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
2 Timothy 1
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Matthew 6
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Romans 8
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Mark 12
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Matthew 5
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Are you really taking these verses to heart? Does your life reflect them? Take a moment and ask God to help you to answer that question honestly.
Are you obeying the recommendations and requirements of the CDC and your state government and your local government, minimizing your contact with others? Are you trusting God to provide for you? When the store doesn’t have what you’re looking for, are you thankful for what they do have, for what you do have? Are you trusting that, when He doesn’t provide exactly what you want when you want, it is in your best interest and He will ultimately work it out for your good in the long run? Are you trying to help your friends and neighbors where you can? In doing these things, are you being salt, letting your light, which is really His light, shine before the world?
Are you on the flip side of this example? Are you constantly criticizing the governing authorities? Are you saying that what they are asking is too much and just doing what you want? Are you running to the store to buy up all their toilet paper and panicking when you see that they don’t have any bread or milk at the moment? Are you wringing your hands over the fact that the government assistance packages aren’t being implemented fast enough? Are you taking an every man for himself attitude? In doing these things, are you acting like the rest of the world and, in so doing, putting your lamp under a basket, hurting your witness, and, most importantly, hurting His Name?
We are in the midst of challenging times, the likes of which have not been seen in decades. We are all human and so we are all at least a little stressed about that. However, as Christ’s Church, we have an opportunity here, the likes of which also has not been seen in decades. Right now, many people are desperately searching for answers and they may be more open to receiving the answers that God alone provides. We can show the world who Christ really is and what following Him really means. I truly believe that it is not too late for another great revival. God just might use the current crisis as the catalyst to start that revival. He can do anything He wants, with us or without us, but Scripture clearly demonstrates that human action and prayer do impact what happens in this world. God has given us free will and that necessarily means that our actions and inactions do have consequences, positive and negative. So, we, as the body of Christ, can take advantage of this opportunity or we can squander it. The body of Christ is made up of the individual members of the body. If you are a Christian, that means you. What Christ’s church does right now is comprised of what we collectively all do. What it does not do is comprised of what we collectively do not do. Your action or inaction does matter. What will you or will you not do now, as you represent Him to this world?
Let me leave you with a final thought. This virus started with a single case which then infected a hand full of others and it went on to quickly spread around the world, bringing despair and sickness and sometimes death. Christianity started with a single Man who empowered others and it went on to quickly spread around the world, bringing healing and hope and life. Who do you think is more powerful, this virus or God? This virus will eventually be stopped. God will not. His power and love and the life He gives are eternal. This virus quickly spread around the world. Don’t you think Christian revival could do the same? You are just one person but it starts with one.
Christ’s Church is not the buildings, it is the Christians, it is Christ working through us. We can’t meet in the buildings right now but that doesn’t matter. In fact, that may be good. As we get out of the buildings we also get out of our comfort zone and that is where God often really shows up and shows out. Let’s let Him do that, through us! Let’s see if he won’t just use us to start a revival!
