One misconception needs to be cleared up in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic…
Churches are not closed.
Buildings may be closed. Churches are not.
It seems that we have forgotten that the church is not a building but a people…a people redeemed by the death of Jesus Christ…a people indwelt by the Spirit of God…a people called to proclaim the praises of the One who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.
In the midst of this crisis, nothing has changed in our identity…nothing has changed in our calling…nothing has changed in our focus or in our hope.
If anything, this crisis has gotten our attention. It has given us a greater understanding that we live in a broken world…a greater opportunity to be still and know that He is God…a greater motivation to be on our knees in prayer.
Yes, I know that there is a short-term hindrance on our gathering together as believers. Not meeting together does impact us. We need one another. We need face-to-face relationship. We need encouragement.
But the hindrance on us is not imposed out of persecution.
The government is not ordering us not to preach the gospel…not to pray…not to speak the name of Jesus Christ. They are putting restrictions on large gatherings of people…regardless of who it is or what its purpose is…out of concern for public health. To argue that this restriction is a sign that the government is anti-religious requires one to also say that, at the same time, they are anti-sports, anti-dine-in restaurants, anti-coffee shops, anti-movie theaters, anti-fitness clubs, anti-parades, anti-weddings, anti-funerals, and just plain anti-social.
Yes, when the mayor of NYC says that churches or synagogues that don’t comply with social distancing may be shut down permanently, that is a major concern…and an obvious violation of the Constitution. But churches that continue to meet in large gatherings as a way of thumbing their nose at the government, the virus, and the potential safety of others in their community are also a concern.
Such an attitude shows a misunderstanding and misapplication of the New Testament.
1. As stated above…the church is not a building. There are no church buildings even mentioned in the New Testament. The church met in homes…they met outdoors…they met in small gatherings. Perhaps, if nothing else, this crisis is reminding us that the power of the church is not in large gatherings but in person-to-person relationships…and that the identity of the church is not in a physical building but in a spiritual fellowship of believers.
2. The church scattered can be more powerful than the church gathered. In the book of Acts, the early church was initially able to meet in large gatherings at the temple. It was certainly a joyful and exciting time in the life of the church. But religious opposition soon scattered believers out of the temple and out of Jerusalem. What looked like a major hindrance to the church actually became the impetus for further growth and expansion. Is it possible that the same thing is happening today? As churches are hindered in meeting together physically, they are expanding their message and outreach creatively via the internet and social media. People who may never step into a church building are probably being exposed to the gospel, and being receptive to its message, in ways they may have never been before.
3. God often puts limits on us for His own greater purposes. The apostle Paul was a passionate, pioneering missionary eager to take the gospel to the ends of the earth…and God confined him in a prison cell for four years…and added a thorn in the flesh on top of that. What certainly felt like a hindrance to Paul was actually the means by which God taught him to pray for the churches, to spread the gospel in unexpected ways, and to write half of the New Testament! God doesn’t see limits the same way we do. We fight against limits…God uses them. We see limits as a hindrance…God sees them as opportunities for us to depend on Him more. For when we are weak…then we are strong.
4. The exhortation to “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together” was aimed at those who willfully withdrew from Christian fellowship. The exhortation in Hebrews 10:25 obviously doesn’t refer to staying at home because you are sick or potentially contagious or putting others at risk. In fact, being hindered from gathering together because of valid health concerns should make the longing for fellowship that much greater and richer. In Psalm 42, the psalmist, temporarily separated from the temple, expresses his increasing passion for God and for the congregation. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God!
5. Faith is not putting others at risk but rather trusting God to work in unexpected ways. Let’s face it, faith can be used to justify a lot of actions. But Jesus said that jumping off a building while claiming divine protection is not an example of faith but rather of “testing the Lord” (Matthew 4:5-7). Faith is governed by love. And whatever one may think about the coronavirus, it is hard to deny that it is highly contagious, has sickened many people around the world, and has killed numerous others…especially those who are older and physically weakened in some way. To put the vulnerable at risk…when you can minister to them in other ways…is not great faith but rather lack of wisdom and love. Faith is also guided by God’s truth. And just as Scripture encourages us to meet together, it also exhorts us to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men (Titus 3:1-2). To be skeptical and dismissive of practically every local, state, and national leader, as well as the medical community as a whole, is not great faith but rather lack of humility and common sense. God’s ways are not our ways and faith trusts Him to work in unexpected ways in unforeseen circumstances
As a pastor, I look forward to the day when we can gather together again as believers. We are enduring the short-term discomfort of “social distancing” to enable that day to come sooner…and with less potential loss of life. In the meantime, we can still be on our knees daily…loving our families closely…calling other believers regularly…checking on our neighbors frequently…and spreading the gospel creatively.
God is still on His throne.
He is still working all things according to the counsel of His will.
The Spirit is still moving in the hearts of men and women.
And Christ is still building His church.
A people…not a building.
Thus, the church is not closed.
Rather we, His people, are still open to His leading and operating for His glory.
Excellent!! Well said!! Thank you!!!