Throughout history, nothing has been more polarizing than suffering. Some will view human suffering as a reason to not believe in God, while others will see suffering as a reason to run directly into the arms of God. This is the time for us to say to our cities and communities, “hope is right in front of you!” The Church has had a disaster plan in place for 2,000 years — the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In that momentous act, Jesus conquered sin, death and the grave. With that said, let me share three observations for the Church.
First, the light is on. While we may not be “here” in our facilities, we’re actually everywhere! The buildings we occupy once or twice a week are not representative of our reach. Wherever we live and wherever we go we are mobilized for the cause of the Kingdom and the sake of the gospel.
Next, the Church is not in retreat. We’ve merely repositioned ourselves for ministry. If you’ve ever wondered what Jesus meant about new wineskins, this is it! We need to remember that the first building constructed for the exclusive purpose of Christian worship was not erected until A.D. 350. For the first three and one half centuries the gospel flourished without a building. I think we can do this!
Finally, we need our individual members now more than ever because our communities need us collectively. We’re better together. Lovingly meeting the needs of the members of our communities is the most relevant thing we can do. Let’s be the Church of Jesus Christ!
