CHALLENGING TIMES, No. 3.
6. THE CHURCH continued.
In 2 Corinthians 3:2, 3 Paul tells the believers that they are an epistle (a letter of Christ), “known and read of all men,” How can we read the letter of Christ in one another if we don’t come together to see one another? How can people see the revelation of Christ in our lives if we are covered with a mask?
Paul continues the theme in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with OPEN FACE (unveiled face) beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
The question is: how can we behold the glory of the Lord in one another’s faces (countenances) if we cover our faces with masks? We cover the glory of the Lord.
How can we be changed “into the same image of Christ” if we cannot see His glory in one another and if we cannot get close enough to one another to have strong eye contact and hear each other’s voices.
How can we encourage one another if we are not close enough to shake one another’s hands or give an encouraging embrace?
Social distancing is not consistent with New Testament church togetherness.
Cloth masks don’t keep out the virus. And plastic visors with a large gap all around are also a joke. They don’t stop the spread of the virus. Masks are definitely not healthy for us as we breathe back in the carbon dioxide we are breathing out. The medical profession is taking us for idiots.
The sanctifying presence of Christ in the church gathering should be the safest place to gather. Where is our faith? It seems to me that faith has been replaced by an epidemic of fear that is worse than the virus.
7. FAMILY LIFE
The family is also challenged by these lockdowns. Children were never meant to be cooped up inside day after day. Parents are struggling to pay their bills. Stress and anxiety are mounting in the homes. The breadwinner is locked up at home.
Children, who are the least affected by this virus, and virile young parents are not greatly affected unless they have other serious medical conditions.
The medical profession has turned the whole world into an isolation ward. It is ridiculous. Common sense has departed.
The economy of many countries is being destroyed and multitudes of families are suffering.
This is definitely a time for Christian families to pray and call upon the Lord for deliverance. We need to pray that God will push the fear back from our nations and that God’s people will enjoy quiet resting places.
Isaiah 32:18: “And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
Picture: This picture of a social distancing church is the opposite to New Testament Christianity.
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