While very few of us would want to go through the shutdowns and experience the limited mobility caused by the pandemic, many people gained a blessing from those difficult days. I know I did. Despite the frustrations and having to deal with great fear, I gained something good in the spring and summer of 2020 that surprised me. I gained more free time.
Time is a precious commodity. Unlike money that can be earned back, time is a resource that can only be used once. After it is gone, it cannot be recovered. Time is a gift. It has been given to us by our Maker. We do not know how much of it we will have. There is a limit to how much each of us gets and we are each responsible for what we do with it. Given the scarcity of time, it is strange how much of it is wasted.
During the days when I was trapped at home, unsure if I or some of my friends and family would be casualties of COVID-19, I found myself praying and longing to gather with my local church. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the extra walks, workouts, meals, movie nights, and meaningful conversations with those in my home. But as time passed, I found myself longing to hear the prayers and praises of God’s people, to feel the hugs and handshakes of trusted friends, and to experience the power of God in the congregation of the redeemed in Christ. This was not unique to me. During many digital meetings, I heard others longing for the opportunity to gather for worship with their faith family.
In the fall, as churches began to open, so did other things. Now that a vaccine is being distributed, there is a great expectation that soon things will be back to “normal.” I wonder if that is good. I wonder if what we call “normal” is best.
Before the pandemic, very few people who claim to be Christians attended worship in a manner consistent with the command of Scripture. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Gathering on the Lord’s Day, Sunday, is a clear expectation of God for His people. It is a sacred day that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is a day that is to be set aside for the purpose of honoring God and encouraging His people.
If asked, most who claim to be Christians will say they attend church. If asked if they attend church every Sunday, that response would be different for a majority of them.
While many claim Christ and engagement in a local church, statistics tell a different story. And why is that? Could it be that some are not Christians at all? Might it be that they are saved by grace, but that they have lost their way? It could be that, given the many privileges of resources and opportunities, many of God’s people are like those of Ephesus of whom Jesus said in Revelation 2:4, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”
The world truly is a Vanity Fair, as described in John Bunyan’s classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress. There is much to do and gain. The question worth asking is: What is best? What is best for your soul? What is best for your marriage and family? What is best for those who must reside and work around you?
There are so many SOKY Happenings. We are a blessed region with resources and opportunity. The greatest resource and opportunity is on Sunday mornings in local churches where the Bible is taught, the Gospel is offered, praises are sung, and Christ is celebrated. Our area is filled with such churches. It would be difficult to drive into town and not pass several where God is at work in them and through them. The opportunity to engage in the blessed life of a local church is the best opportunity any person has. The blessing is not in simply showing up, but in engaging with head, heart and hands in the worship of God and service to His purpose.
Our world is changing again. We soon will once again enjoy freedoms unavailable to billions of people on the planet. I pray that our Bible-based churches will be filled this spring, summer and fall. I pray that new Bible-based churches will need to be started. I pray that our region will be blessed with Spirit-filled followers of Jesus who gather for worship each Sunday and then go out into the world to accomplish God’s mission: to bring love and light to our broken, dark world.
-by Dr. Jason Pettus
Senior Pastor
Living Hope Baptist Church
