Four Months
There are four months until the end of 2020. I imagine most read that with joy and excitement saying, “It is almost over!”
However, what if God has been trying to teach us something for the last five months that we still struggle to grasp? Let’s reconsider some things that have been shared but need revisited.
The Church is not the building. I am hopeful that the congregation I serve will be regathering on campus soon. However, just last night I met with some amazing followers of Jesus in an apartment and there was fellowship, a meal, confession, prayer, accountability and encouragement. We were not on the church campus. We were the church nonetheless.
The Kingdom of God advances. I read a Barna study today that indicates in the next 18 months 20% of the churches that exist today will be closed. What if God is using these moments to search for those who are passionate about Jesus Christ and His mission - more than politics, more than elections, more than denominational tribalism, more than congregational methodology, more than… God will advance His Kingdom and I want to be a part of that movement.
People are spiritually curious. God’s prevenient grace has not stopped working. Intercessory prayer has not stopped working. The piece of us that was created for the eternal has not vanished. People are longing for hope in the chaos of life. We need to be people with a message of inspiration and hope. We need to convince people that God is for them and we are for them. We need to demonstrate that people can belong before they believe. The spiritually curious will find spirituality somewhere so let them find the answer in the Christ they see in us.
Look forward. Covid19 is making us aware of that which was broken in the Church. Our post-Covid19 action should be to look forward, not backward, for solutions. Going back to the way things were will only serve to perpetuate a system that did not make disciple-making followers of Jesus Christ. What can our congregations do differently to make disciples of Jesus beyond the Sunday morning campus gatherings?
We have four months left in 2020 and I know how tempting it can be to wait around to kick this year goodbye. I suspect there will be parties on December 31st, the likes of which we have not seen since the start of this millennium. Let’s do our part to make sure that the biggest parties are in heaven over the ones who enter into a relationship with Christ in the next four months who also enter into disciple making relationships.