The Post-Coronavirus Church
Soon (hopefully), the COVID-19 contagion will be over. Being retired, I am not in the position of heavy responsibility like full-time ministers. But it is my desire to somehow help the pastor with the recovery of their churches. Every day, I pray that the Lord will provide wisdom, revelation, and grace to our faithful pastors.
Certainly, God is speaking to His Church in this pandemic. He is asking the churches to not waste the situation by grumbling. Instead, He is calling the Church to reset, restore, revive, and to realize that God is doing a new thing. The worst thing a pastor can do is forcefully get back to “normal,” unless God was pleased with “normal” in the first place.
The pandemic has compelled churches to boil things down to essence. When churches were constrained to present online services, they had to determine what was essential. As I watched scores of online services, typically 90-plus-minute services were boiled down to approximately 40 minutes. Pastors had to determine which parts of the service were “essence.”
When churches return to 100%, will it be back to “normal,” or subnormal, abnormal, conformal, or supernormal? Here are five statements to consider:
1. Ravi Zacharias - “The truth is that whenever a fence is removed, it’s wise to ask why it was put there in the first place.” Therefore, reassess everything you do, even your personal favorites.
2. 1 Corinthians 14:33 – “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” Therefore, any confusion is in opposition to God.
3. 2 Timothy 2:7 – “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” Therefore, the anointed answers will only be found vertically between the minister and God, and not horizontally among their people and peers.
4. 2 Corinthians 4:8 – “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair.” Therefore, this is the age we live in; embrace it as a charge from God, and move forward.
5. Joyce Meyer – “Many people feel so pressured by the expectations of others that it causes them to be frustrated, miserable and confused about what they should do. But there is a way to live a simple, joy-filled, peaceful life, and the key is learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit, not the traditions or expectations of man.” Therefore, the complete directions you seek will always and only come from God through the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray each day for our local pastors. They are precious in the sight of God and divinely called for this hour. And may the Lord bless His Church!