Insights Into The Covid-19 Church Era – Part XIII
I’ve been taught that if you work hard enough, you can attain the American Dream of being anything you want, but that is not the attitude of Americans today who feel endowed. They no longer want to earn things; they expect things to be given to them. No longer respecting authority, we rebel against it. Our political leaders called for a voluntary Stay-At-Home quarantine, social distancing, hand washings, and mask wearing or our own public safety, but when bored, we demand our freedoms and rights while putting the lives of others in jeopardy. I was proud when young people were willing to sacrifice for my safety out of respect. Bored after weeks of isolation, those same young people were willing to give up their sacrifice, and even refused to wear masks in the midst of a pandemic because they “had a right” to do so. All of a sudden wearing masks became political. Christians who claimed to be Pro-life were now unwilling to do simple things like wear a mask or not meet in large groups at the expense of their elderly who were high risks of dying if they caught the virus.
I John 3:16-17 (NIV) says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” The only way as Christians we can overcome this pandemic is if we are willing to “lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” It means sacrificing for others.
Rather than counting on the Church during a pandemic crisis, we count on our government to bail us out, give us stimulus checks, provide unemployment and healthcare. Our big government believes “we are too big to fail”, so they will do anything to keep our economy going. But during rough times during the 1st century, the Church took care of people’s needs. Acts 4:34-35 records, “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 Church took care of the widows, the orphans, and the poor; in fact, anyone in need. Even when persecution forced them to isolate themselves, they still took care of one another.
The world use to respect us because of our generosity, but today our President wants everyone to “Pay us back”. Roman 12:20 says “If your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Historically the United States has made old enemies our allies through out generosity. Germany & Japan were our mortal World War II enemies, now our closest allies. We lost the war in Vietnam, yet today they are one of our strongest trade partners!
The American capitalistic dream is to take care of #1, yourself! Less than 10% of the United State’s population controls 90% of its nation’s wealth. Billionaires control our politics and our economy and their desire is to get richer. Meanwhile the minimum wage worker, working two jobs with little benefits cannot stay home, cannot quarantine, cannot help but go to work when living paycheck to paycheck. When the Covid-19 interrupts their lives, it has disastrous results. Where is the Covid-19 era Church at this time?
We must develop new wineskins to be filled with the new wine of Godly generosity and sacrificial living. Such new wineskins like “storehouse tithing” where believers give to a storehouse during times of plenty from which to draw from in times of need. (See other blog posts on that topic.) A new wine concept may be, “I am willing to sacrifice, so others may live.”
Is the American Dream biblical? Are we all to seek prosperity? Jesus said, “You will always have the poor among you,” the question is “What is the Church to do with them?” As Christians is our goal in life to seek wealth? If so remember Mark 10:25, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than or someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Or as Christians is our goal to enter the kingdom of God and advance His kingdom? Is our mission to “lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”