Christians all over the world are asking this question as we respond to restrictive measures which have been implemented to combat the spread of the coronavirus. One of the main metaphors for the church in the Bible is of a body.
A body that has its individual parts removed from one another is unnatural. We are meant to be together.
This is not the first time that the church has had to face a pandemic. In AD 249 to 262, Western civilization was devastated by one of the deadliest pandemics in its history. Though the exact cause of the plague is uncertain, the city of Rome was said to have lost an estimated 5,000 people a day at the height of the outbreak. Our Christian ancestors distinguished themselves. Cyprian, the bishop of Carthage encouraged Christians to serve not only fellow believers but also non-believers. As a result – many were infected by the plague and died. The impact of their service stunned the unbelieving world as they witnessed the communal love of believers (John 13:35). Unbelievers who benefited from the care of believer were converted to Christ. The church grew exponentially. Similar outbreaks of plague occurred a century later with the same response. The Black Death (bubonic plague) which also originated from China devastated Europe in the 14th through 16th centuries. It killed a quarter of Europe’s population at that time. Martin Luther wrote a pamphlet in 1527 entitled ‘Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague’ to guide believers in Wittenberg. The church has experienced deadly pandemics in the past and can encourage us today.
How can we be the body of Christ when physically separated? Consider the following suggestions.
READ!!
The first way we can ensure that we remain united as the body of Christ at MUC is to spend time in the Word of God (Psalm 1). As our Lord reminded us in Matthew 4:4 Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. To neglect the bread of life is to neglect our souls. However what many of us don’t appreciate as much as we should is that to neglect the Bible is also to neglect the body of Christ. Remember what Paul said in Colossians 3:16; Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Not only should we read, meditate and memorise God’s Word but we can obey Colossians 3:16 by taking from our own freshly prepared meal from God’s Word and share it with others in the body. No doubt we will occupy our time these next three weeks in many creative ways but we should commit to reading God’s Word. We would also be good stewards of our time by reading a couple of good quality Christian books and making suitable recommendation to one another.
PRAY!!
The second way we can ensure that we retain tightly bound as the body of Christ is to pray. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 we read a number of quick-fire commands. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Being separated from one another in body does not mean that we should be separated from one another in spirit. One practical way we can apply this to our daily lives in lockdown is to take our church directory’s and take one page a day and pray for the people on that page. In Colossians 4:12 we read; Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Let us commit to be modern day Epaphras’.
SERVE!!
No doubt being forced apart from one another for three weeks can make serving more complicated. We can however find creative ways to serve. If the Lord should impress someone on your heart we can pick up the phone and send a Whatsapp message, or even a Whatsapp voice call. If you feel frustrated by being confined to your homes we can be thankful that at least we have a spouse or children to speak with. Think of those who are single in the church and spending lockdown on their own. They would value a physical voice way better than a message. In Galatians 5:13 we are exhorted to serve one another. In Romans 12:10 we are encouraged to let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.
Our journey with the coronavirus has just begun, and we trust it will soon fizzle out and become a dim memory. But it is also a God-ordained opportunity for many Christians to display the love of Christ in service to one another and our neighbours, and to live out the fearlessness of death that Christ has won for all his children.