I would like to welcome you to the season of Online Church, I am your host and lead pastor, Andrew Burchett.
Last Sunday I spoke about the importance on having a "culture of generosity" (click to watch the podcast), which is in stark contrast to the self-protection, self-focused and selfishness we are seeing in this world today where people are getting into fights about buying toilet paper. This is what our world has become.
As Christians we must come in the opposite spirit and practice the generosity that reflects our generous God. It is in days like these that the Church of Jesus Christ must rise and reflect the hope, the peace and love that authenticates our faith.
The spread of fear in these days is far out-pacing any virus that is plaguing our world.
When we see the selfishness and self-protective behavior at the expense of others it should drive us to pray, to seek God’s power and love and move in the opposite spirit to a place of generosity. Some have politicized concern over health, some have overstated the risks and others have dismissed real threats.
We don’t want to do any of that.
Last Saturday our board made the decision to move church online. This will be the norm for us in the weeks to come.
- This was not a decision birthed in fear or by trying to be politically correct.
- It was a decision that is meant to love others well.
- The government is now strongly discouraging groups of more than 10 to meet and we want to honor the authority of the state (Rom. 13). However, the real driving force behind not meeting in person is love. Love for one another and love for those who are watching us from the outside.
We knew we probably couldn’t continue meeting as a large group because of the potential risks to those with compromised immune systems and our older friends, so by doing this we are loving others by not putting them in a place where we could unknowingly infect them, as silent carriers.
Some people have been angry that their convenience has evaporated, and surmise that all these precautions are unnecessary. These are some of the same people that declare they have faith and they are still hugging as many people as possible to show that their faith is greater.
While I love great faith, if we keep this posture we will send the signal to a watching world that we are not acting responsibly. It is difficult for the world to see our “love for one another” if we are acting as if we are all bulletproof and dismissive of what government and medical leaders have asked us to do.
We all agree that “social distancing” is counter intuitive to the body of Christ.
While in the campfire response, we were encouraging people to gather more, in this instance we seem to be promoting distance and isolation. That doesn’t feel like the Kingdom of God, ready to embrace the broken, the leper, or the sick, but for the sake of love I will maintain a safe space from other people in this season.
What will make our response to this time different than the response of the world?
- Remember that this is a season. We will be meeting again together in the dome, and this will be another chapter that has closed in our ongoing story.
- Know that Fear is not from God and his perfect love kills off fear. If you are wrestling with fear, ask the Father to give you His love to fill your heart.
- Don’t be dismissive of others' concern, this will only cause others to feel shamed and uncared for. This is not the reflection of God we want to show a watching world. Plus, you never know someone may have a high-risk person in their family or close friends.
- Offer hope and peace through prayer (in person and in a digital form)
- Recognize that the body of Christ is expanding into the cyber world and that many churches will have a wider reach digitally, meaning many will come to Christ because we are going beyond the walls.
- Realize that God is not surprised by this and that what the enemy meant for evil God will turn around for our good.
What are some things you can do this week to practice the culture of generosity?
Join us for our worship service online this Sunday at 10:30am, where we will talk about the culture of healing we are working to cultivate at Neighborhood Church. Again, if you missed last Sunday you can watch the podcast.
