Its September, Covid is still here and churches are still closed

 

It is now September and many many churches are still not open.  It seems to me such churches should remain closed.  God has already written "Ichabod" upon their doors.  If your church happens to be one of those it is time to find another one.  

Soon we will likely be in lockdown again.  I don't know that with any certainty, but I think we all expect it.  Once again churches will have to decide what they will do.  And churches that have re-opened will have to decide once again whether or not to render to Caesar what is God's.  At the moments things remain a mess.  This week I wrote the following to some fellow ministers: 

"First, I am convinced the Church has become so preoccupied with rendering unto Caesar she has forgotten to render unto God.  Second, we have bought into the world's philosophy of love (which is earthbound and man-centered) and forgotten what Jesus said about bearing our cross and losing our lives.  Brothers, is it possible that even ministers of the gospel are so busy trying to save lives that we are in danger of losing them?  I know some churches aren't even meeting yet...   As far as I am concerned such churches should be marked and avoided.  I know other churches aren't singing.  I know other churches that won't allow last minute guests in their doors (no chance of a lost soul wandering in off the street and finding Jesus).  I know of other churches that require you to register and reserve your spot - like pew renting in the past... I am personally convinced God is just beginning to sift the Church... harder times are ahead of us.  But already we are revealing what is in us: worldly-mindedness, idolatry, fear."

In April I wrote a letter to our elders and subsequently posted it on this blog.  [My family continued to gather for worship as we had in 2019 and the years previous. Though services were offered online, our church doors never closed.   No one has become sick, though if we had I hope we would have counted it all joy.]  I will admit that I never expected that post to get the attention it did... nor did I expect the controversy that ensued; which revolved around two issues: my attending worship and my letter.  Three months later I am more convinced than ever of the position I took then.  My convictions on the subject are stronger now than before.    As I survey the Church and its ongoing - varied - response to Covid and consider also the possibility of what is coming I believe it is important to go over the issues first raised in that initial letter.  What I have done here (below) is simply re-posted key excerpts (with edits) from that original letter followed by a note that I have added for clarification.

Here it is:

... In previous generations for a member of a family to confess “Jesus is Lord” was to put his entire family (and sometimes extended family) in jeopardy. To gather for worship was an activity that brought the wrath of magistrates down not only on individuals, but also families and communities. Still, God’s people confessed “Jesus is Lord” and still they gathered. While I was in Djibouti, I had the privilege of witnessing courage in the face of persecution.  Converts from Islam would gather secretly to praise God because their discovery meant imprisonment or death.  Yet, their shouts of joy and victory could be heard on the streets because they couldn’t contain themselves.  Brothers it has never been safe to be a Christian. It has never been popular to imitate Jesus; and the choices made by the faithful to live by another law (God’s law) have rarely been seen as loving by a worldly wise Church or culture.   Why? Because their standards and priorities are so different from God’s.  Jesus warned, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”  Have you considered that we are trying to save men’s material, physical lives?  Remember the context. Jesus was speaking of His dying, and Peter lovingly (but firmly) rebuked Him.  He loved Jesus and didn’t want Him to die.  I would urge you to consider Jesus’ answer: “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”  

What was Peter’s problem? He was savouring the things of men rather than the things of God.

I believe this is just the mistake we are making now. We are savouring the things of men rather than the things of God.   It is man’s logic that says that the life and health of the body is everything. Secular humanism teaches that man’s happiness is his reason for being. Everything, then, must be calculated to make man as happy as possible for as long as possible. Consider how we are reasoning during this pandemic. 

We are not dealing with the bubonic plague which some say may have killed close to a ⅓ of Europe. We and our neighbours are not facing certain (or even likely) death.  Yet confronted with even a hint of danger we have decided it best not gather to worship God.  In the hope that we might save a few lives we are willing to forsake the assembling of God’s people.   We have accepted the philosophy of the world.  They are willing to take risks for what they deem essential, and yet we are not willing to take risks for what we once said was essential.  Of course, they don’t prioritize worship because they do not recognize or love King Jesus.  But He is our Master.  He bought us with His blood.  We see things differently now that we have been renewed.  We live by another standard and another philosophy. This world isn’t everything.  The physical health and safety of our neighbours is not pre-eminent. What is most important is the glory of God in the salvation of sinners.  This is the reason for the Church’s very existence.  Yet, persuaded by a world that neither loves God nor the souls of men, we have decided that we are loving our neighbour when we cease gathering for worship.  What is this but a savouring the things of men?

Isn’t it possible that we are so used to living in a country free of persecution that we hardly know how to comprehend real suffering for Christ?  We have spoken of taking up our crosses for years but it was never tangible.  We learned to think of it only symbolically because we have been so comfortable.  Now that following Jesus means possible fines, imprisonment and alienation from the community (and Church) we seem to be at a loss.   Instead of taking up our cross, we are borrowing from the worldly-wise to justify a safer course.

As a child I read the story of martyr after martyr.  [Actually, now especially Fox's Book of Martyrs should be read by every Christian!]   As a  child I lived among Christians who really suffered for their gospel witness.  Since discovering the reformed world I have read of the lives of the covenanters who suffered and died because they wouldn’t submit to the authority of bishops.  These men could have gathered for worship on the government’s terms, but they chose instead to gather where they were forbidden.   For this their own friends and fellow churchmen turned on them. They were chased from place to place, often wandering from house to house because hunted.  Some were drowned, some tortured, many died all because they would not allow God’s government and worship to be tarnished, and because they insisted on gathering for worship. 

Brothers where has that spirit gone?  What has become of God’s Church?  We have been told for years that we are lukewarm like the Laodicean church.  Isn’t it possible that God is now revealing just how lukewarm we are?  How many of us said that we would never deny Jesus.  We would under no circumstances cease gathering to worship our Saviour.  Yet, a little trouble, a little trial, and we have stopped.  And how have we rationalized our decision?  Our reasons are borrowed from the world!  We are savouring not the things of God but the things of men. 

I have often thought of Paul’s words to the Corinthians in his first letter. There he wrote, “And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.”  Paul could reason from his life and theirs for the resurrection of the dead.  His life did not make sense apart from the resurrection. 

This has always been a powerful mark of the Christian, that his life doesn’t make sense apart from the resurrection. But is that true now?  Does our response to covid-19 show our confidence in the resurrection, so that our conduct makes no sense to the world except in light of a future resurrection?  It seems to me that our response to covid-19 makes a great deal of sense to them.  They don’t see “resurrection” written over our conduct.  Rather, like them we are doing all we can to save our lives and theirs.  The government has said the church gathering for worship is inessential and we have agreed with them.  We take risks to go to essential workplaces, we take risks to get groceries, but we will take no risks to worship God.  Brothers, we have compromised and done so in the name of loving our neighbour.  What about their souls?  And what about the first and great commandment? How can we love them if we do not first love Him?

I have heard many men say that the call to worship does not trump other commands.  I agree, but then I don’t believe God would ever put us in a position where we would have to choose which command to obey. We are not choosing between Sabbath observance and the 6th commandment. It is not “either forsake the assembling of God’s people or commit murder.” Rather it is as our forefathers used to say, “duty is ours, events are God’s.” We do not know what shall be the issue (or consequence) of our gathering together. We do not know for certain that anyone will get sick nor that anyone will die. Those things belong to God. That is His province, and it always has been.  We are not choosing between two commandments. Rather, we are doing our duty and trusting God with the events. That is what is required of us now just as ever. The events of our gathering are not for us to know.  But that we have a duty to gather is as clear as ever.  Nothing has changed.

Many around us are afraid of the virus. Others are afraid of the magistrate. Let us fear God. Now more than ever the Church ought to be gathering.  We ought to be gathering for days of fasting and prayer, and we ought to be gathering for worship and the administration of the sacraments. How shall we give an account of ourselves on the day of Judgment?  When that day comes we shall answer not only for how we have conducted ourselves in our homes and workplaces, but also for how we have conducted ourselves as undershepherds.  But let us consider how we shall answer for our conduct in this time of trial. These days are for our testing to see what is in us. I fear that by our conduct we are saying “hitherto hath the Lord helped us, but now He cannot be trusted. Now, we must take matters into our own hands.”

We have all seen His preserving hand in our lives. As the children’s catechism says we ought to glorify God “because He loves us and takes care of us.” Many times He has preserved us when we weren’t even looking for help. We did not know the danger we were in. Now we are aware of the danger. We have been told our lives are in jeopardy - though this itself is an exaggeration of the facts - but God has not changed. He is still God, and He is still faithful. And if He has not changed neither have we. It is still true that to die is gain. It is still true that we are risen with Christ. He “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Our names are written in heaven. We are already citizens there. Let us then live in light of that coming glorious day of resurrection. I love the reformed churches, but I believe the decision to submit to the government was a grave mistake.  God is calling His people to worship. As His servants please call God’s people again to gather. A father has his honour and a master his, but God asks, “where is mine (Malachi 1:6)?”

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Note: A lot of discussion continues to surround the science of covid and how deadly the virus is or isn't.  I confess I have gotten caught up in that probably more than I should have.  I have common sense, but I certainly don't have a degree in medicine or biology.  But the issue here isn't whether the virus is deadly or not.  It could be slightly worse than the flu (which I suspect is the case) or it could be several times worse than the flu.  I doubt very seriously it is even half as bad as the bubonic plague, but what if it is?  I regularly get messages from friends, family and even strangers who have read my articles trying to demonstrate that holding worship services is dangerous and that people are dying as a result.  What if holding worship services is dangerous?  I cannot understand how that changes anything.  For most our history being a Christian wasn't safe.  Gathering with other believers for worship wasn't safe.  Sharing the gospel wasn't safe.  But they continued to do all those things anyway and counted it all joy when they were allowed to be partakers in the sufferings of Christ.  They knew what their Master had done and suffered for them, they knew they were not above Him, and they counted it an honour to suffer in His service.  

So... if Christians are dying as a result of going to worship what shall we say?  Praise God!  They have been faithful unto death.  And if dying is gain then they have gained!   

On the other hand, if we try to save our lives we will lose them. "Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul (Matthew 16:24-26)?

For the follow up article and second follow up go here and here.