Insights Into The Covid-19 Church Era – Part IV
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:26-28)
In the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic is not the time to “let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Faith conquers fear. If God is our Provider and Protector who takes care of the sparrows, will he not take care of you? John 14:17-19 states, “The world cannot receive Him (the Spirit of Truth), because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
When Jesus ascends to His Father’s side to intercede for the saints, He sends the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter. The Holy Spirit is still teaching today what he taught the 1st century Church. Times have changed, but not His message. For example: A building is often associated with an institution. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, we went to a “school” building to academically learn. The Church, a body of believers, attends “church” activities in a “church” building. Covid-19 forced institutions to abandon their buildings. They, too, streamed online to be viewed at “home”, while their buildings lay vacated.
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“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? You have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.” (I Corinthians 6:19-20)
Anchored in the 1st century’s Apostles’ teaching was the principle that Christianity did not need a physical building to be its temple. Christianity would not be tied down to real estate. They needed to be flexible due to persecution. Judaism had real estate, a Temple, but when destroyed, their faith became decentralized. Ironically, Christianity, which started without any facilities, would build massive cathedrals and mega-churches. Covid-19 has reminded the church it does not need its buildings. Its people, the dwelling places of the Holy Spirit, is what is important, not its facilities.
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“For there was not a needy person among them, or all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.” (Acts 4:34-35)
The shocking truth is when a church building is empty, God’s Presence is no longer there. His Presence is in His people. Even when empty, the institutional church continued to practice its religion on line. In Jesus’ time, a Pharisaical religious system practiced its religion even though the Holy of Holies was missing the Ark of the Covent, the very Presence of God. Jesus still screams, “Woe, you Pharisees…”
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we should ask how we should handle high unemployment and an unstable economy? How do we undo the financial albatross of burdensome mortgage, increasing staffing salaries, budgetary needs to maintain programs, etc.? How is the church to meet the needs of it hurting saints? There are no local apostles, as there were in the 1st century, where one could lay their financial gifts at their feet to be distributed to the needy during this pandemic. Will there be a day when the 21st century Church can boast, “there was not a needy person among us”? How can the Church meet these needs? We will explore that topic in future blog entries.