If there is to be a reckoning over the second coming of Christ and the urgency to get ourselves prepared, it has now been spotlighted by the coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly, the entire world seems to be at a loss with how to deal with the outbreaks. The only option left, to many countries, is to place more of their cities on lockdowns. More stringent rules are enacted to enforce social distancing, to suppress the spread of the virus. The vibrancy common amongst so many cities is fast-vanishing. The once-bustling cities are beginning to turn into eerily lifeless towns. The world is now hysterically being ground to an abrupt halt.
This pandemic brings out great fear of uncertainty. Mental health suffers tremendously as every conceivable aspect of life has come under intense pressure. The chance of catching the disease is truly real. Anxiety over contraction emerges in withdrawn interactions with others. Many have switched to their panic mode to go on buying excessively. Many businesses are being wound up due to being inactive for a short period of time. Hopes and plans are interrupted and even dashed. Practically, every facet of human existence is adversely affected. No one can really predict what the future holds for them.
An Honest Assessment
While the world is grappling with the virus, it is a time to look very closely at our relationship with God. Unavoidably, we are also in one way or the other impacted by the virus. This is a trying moment for all of us. However, there are always great lessons God has given to His children to take on board. We have been assured time and again in the Bible that God is always there to care for us. Since our Heavenly Father is the Most High God, surely we would not be afraid of what the world might throw at us (Mt. 24:6; Jn. 14:27).
Our Relationship with God
For now, the most telling question is what our state of mind is. Are we any better than the people of the world? To us, the world shall always be a hostile place. Its threats are constant challenges to our existence in Christ. These are never a waning reality. In these extraordinary circumstances, our relationship with God requires wholesale overhaul if we are gripped by persistent fear. To the world, to fear in plight is a natural reaction. To God’s children, we are able to rise to the challenge by strengthening our relationship with God.
Strengthening is never possible when our relationship with God is strained. This could be the result of not carefully improving our spirituality in time of peace, but rather focusing solely on matters of the world. Now, it’s not too late to give our faith a thorough re-think, to see how best we can mend our relationship with God. When we are reconciled to God, we are given the courage to face the world and power to resist its allurements. The peace of God shall then replace the fear and begin to rule in our hearts (cf. Col. 3:16).
Spending Time with God
It has always been the case that living in this fast-paced society leaves us with many choices to juggle. Sometimes, we feel exhausted from earning a livelihood or working hard on academic works. Time is squeezed. We find it hard to make time for God. We don’t have time for church services nor spiritual cultivation. Our faith suffers as a result. This, in turn, affects our service to the Lord in a very negative way. Trying to keep our faith afloat against the strong tide of the world has become dauntingly impossible.
However, the outbreak of the virus has coerced us all to put aside what is physically necessary in life. By looking at this unprecedented situation in light of God’s word, the immediate lesson we can learn is to redeem the time (Col. 4:5; Eph. 5:16). Sometimes, being confined at home generates boredom. We tend to look for things to do to kill time. To indulge in watching dramas and movies is never the way forward for us. It is even more harmful to surf on websites with content against the beliefs of the church. We have to turn this moment of uncertainty into an opportunity to eradicate these bad habits and learn to spend time with God.
This pandemic has reminded us that our time (life) is in the hand of God. God’s children should understand that time spent should revolve around God and worshipping Him. Nothing should come in the way of our worship, which is man’s all (cf. Eccl. 12:13). Worshipping God involves grasping every chance to attend every online service, making more time to kneel before Him and searching into the word of God, to make sure we know whom and what we believe in. With great resolve, strengthening the heart to worship God should stretch well beyond the pandemic period after life has come back to normality.
Fostering a Good Relationship with Family Members
Before, we may have found it really hard to make time for our family members. We have many excuses for justifying ourselves for not making the effort to have family reunions constantly. We have unwittingly comforted ourselves that it is not a crime to let personal interests and matters come before familial ties. In fact, such a mentality has created familial distancing among family members. Though we live under the same roof we do not really know one another’s spiritual state. The sudden disappearance of our family members from the presence of God has not been a rare scene due to an indifferent attitude towards one another at home.
Somehow, this volatile situation has created a unique opportunity for family members to gather together for a prolonged period of time. There are two important works we are to do with due diligence. One is to get to know our family members: to speak to them in a godly and caring manner to understand their faith’s conditions better with a will to help one another. The other is to have regular family worship, building up the bond of faith together in Christ. It must be well-conceived in our mind that the spirit of family worship is not to be left to die after the virus has passed. It has to be kept alive at all times.
Serving God in this Perilous Time
With the entire country being placed on lockdown, the freedom of movement is literally taken away from everyone. The way we do things now is completely different to what we did before. Consequentially, our worship of God in a way is interrupted as well: Our freedom to assemble together in the church premises is and will be restricted for a substantial period of time. The usual district Bible study gatherings in members’ homes are put on hold, uncertain of resumption. Paying visits to members in person, particularly the weak ones, has become virtually impossible.
It is always true that where there is a will there is a way. Physical distancing socially can be bridged by the widespread availability of modern technology and social media when they are used discernibly: Youths are keen on encouraging having online daily Bible study with participants from different parts of the globe. This is truly the way to narrow down the geographical distance between believers and churches. Preaching to friends and relatives has grown to be a viable option to serve God. The church encourages believers to send e-invites to truth-seekers to attend online weekly evangelistic services. This is a good time to rekindle the fire of evangelism both individually and collectively. Prayerfully, we hope the evangelistic fervour will truly be sparkled into more cases of face-to-face preaching after the pandemic.
Being Vigilant Against the Unseen Spiritual Pandemic
While being cautious with these physical outbreaks, we need to be made aware that a Satan-engineered spiritual virus is being spread unnoticed. This virus is devised in the synagogue of Satan (cf. Rev. 2:9; 2:13). This lurking danger is capable of inflicting a severe blow to the church of God, causing widespread damage to the church globally. This spiritual virus thrives on the imperfection of church leaders and believers. The main forms of damage are in the like of doubting the trueness of the church and of encouraging open rebellion against God and His church.
This urgently calls for more works to be done based on the principles of the Bible, to keep the church and the brethren safe. The whole church must come before God to repent penitently of our wrongs before God, particularly our unfaithfulness towards God and His word (cf. Dan. 9:1-19). To return to God by following closely what the Bible teaches is the only way ahead for the church. Human suppositions must be put away completely. Once the broken relationship with God is on the mend, power shall be restored to the church and her leaders. With the abiding presence of the Lord, the church shall defeat the heretics.
Suppressing the Spiritual Pandemic
The church is duty-bound towards her believers, to teach again the ‘Biblicality’ of our traditional beliefs, such as the essentials of church organisation and the 10 articles of faith. Every age group of believers of the church is to be taught thoroughly and repeatedly what the beliefs of the church are. We all need to re-embrace the precious doctrines that we have received with great humility, honesty and willingness. Workers of the church are to encourage brethren to wholeheartedly hold onto the pattern of sound words God has given to the church through the Holy Spirit. With this steadfastness, God is more than willing to unleash the power of His word to pull down strongholds and cast down arguments (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
It is high time for us to wake up from our slumber, to see that the true church is surrounded by a plethora of demonic weapons used against the church. One of which is the media: countless venomous articles are circulated online to poison and corrupt the believers’ simplicity of faith. The church is entrusted with two great missions here. One is to sound forth the danger of not knowing the beliefs of the church genuinely. When these basics are not done reverently, the connection with God can hardly be established and such are inevitably susceptible to deception.
The other is the church has the duty to make known the proliferation of websites and social media accounts set up by heretics and ex-workers. To ensure we will not fall prey to these evil devices, it is imperative for members to stick to the official websites of the church. The best policy is not to join or follow any websites other than those recommended by the church. The truth of ‘curiosity kills the cat’ must be hammered home well. When the cat is killed it only shows that we are not obedient and immature spiritually. What is to follow shall be a severe negative consequence.
Conclusion
The current COVID-19 pandemic serves as a stern warning to us all. We have all been taking things for granted for too long. Expedient rectification of lifestyle is needed for spiritual betterment through serious prayers to confess our wrongs before God. With the main focus shifted onto Him, the church shall be energized to carry out the great commission readily. When God’s abiding presence is felt in the church, it is natural for us to keep check on one another’s faith. Searching the word of God and praying would become the norm and essential in every family.
The detrimental effect of the coronavirus has also brought to light the devastation caused by the spiritual pestilence created by the synagogue of Satan. We shall risk the church being infected without a measure being put in place. The measure has to be biblically stringent – there must be nothing less than a complete severance from the evil. The church must be quickly immunized through a series of proper re-teaching of the basic beliefs for every believer (including all workers) with constant unceasing prayers to God for divine intervention, to save the church.