I thought it would be helpful to change things up this week. Instead of writing, I wanted to share other articles I believe are important for us to consider during the current crisis. Navigating all of the various issues raised by the Coronavirus can be difficult, but I believe these articles will help you think about them from a biblical perspective. Each of these articles are profitable for different reasons, but all of them seek to remind us of the truth of God’s Word and the centrality of the gospel in the midst of this pandemic.
Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions
“I believe one of the ways that the enemy will seek to divide our ranks within the church is by tempting us to use our opinions against each other. If the Devil has his way, we’ll be throwing stones of accusation from all sides, calling the cautious people “soft,” labeling the optimists of being “reckless.” More than that, the enemy especially loves when we cement ourselves in political corners; adding opinionated fuel to the already tumultuous fire of conflict.”
When Should Churches Reject Governmental Guidelines on Gathering and Engage in Civil Disobedience?
“As the COVID-19 stay-at-home quarantines tarry, folks are getting restless. State governments think about pathways to opening up. The stock market leaps a couple percentage points at the slightest whisper of a vaccine. And pastors have begun to ask each other, ‘When can our churches gather again?'”
9 Ways the Gospel Speaks to Us During COVID-19
“Jerry Bridges once wrote, “We need…to hear the gospel every day of our Christian lives.” A daily dose of gospel truth could not be more timely than right now—during the dog days of this pandemic. So, let’s tap the brakes—just for a moment. I know things feel crazy and a bit overwhelming, but that makes this an ideal time to stop, breathe and create space for contemplation. Are you with me? Now allow your mind to ponder some of the ways the gospel speaks to the disrupting realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. For starters, here are nine reflections. ”
25 Hymns to Sing in Troubled Times
“As the globe responds to the pandemic of coronavirus and COVID-19, Christ invites his people, as always, to approach the throne of God with confidence to find help in our time of need (Heb 4:16). The hymns of the faith, both ancient and modern, offer us a vocabulary for expressing our fears, anxieties, and questions to the One who hears.”
Why Gather? Thinking About Gathering When Churches Can’t
“Of course, just as a husband and wife are still married when the husband is deployed for a 6-month military tour of duty, a church is still a church even when it cannot gather. But such circumstances, thankfully, are historically abnormal for local congregations. And as that married couple longs to be reunited, my hope is that God might use this season when churches can’t meet to make us yearn for the sweet glories of assembling again. Perhaps, in his mysterious providence, one of God’s purposes for this time is to help us treasure the reality that a church is a gathering.”