You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus..
2 Timothy 2:1-3
What does a Christian need to do to get through this current crises? Pretty much the same things we have always needed to do to live faithfully in this broken world. While the issues surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and the economic shutdown may have intensified many of the struggles we face in this world, they have not actually introduced anything completely new (Ecc 1:9). The world has often faced traumatic events and the church has always had to respond in the same way – with full faith in our Heavenly Father and a willingness to suffer as we serve others in His Name.
So here’s the good news in the midst of all the bad news. Our faith in Christ has already equipped us with all the tools we need to stand firm and even flourish in the middle of this present trauma. So what should Christians do? We should continue to do the things we have always done as we walk in obedience to Christ. We should continue to reach out to one another and our neighbors with the hope of the Gospel. We should continue to lean hard on God in the midst of our fear and need. We should pray for one another (and with one another) as regularly as possible. And we should rest all our cares on our Sovereign King Who cares for us!
It’s going to require creativity and intentionality as we find ways to serve and love and “meet” and encourage. But these are things the church has always had to find ways to do in difficult times (like persecution, war, famine, epidemic, forced separation, etc). The church has always done so because the church has a faithful and all powerful Lord to lead her. So let’s keep doing what we’ve always been doing, and let’s do so with joy and faith in Christ.
Resting by faith in His Sovereign Grace!
Pastor Scott