This is going to be rather long, but I have a lot on my heart this morning…
There is something I have never understood about us… I have been AOP prenatal, as well as a forum member since FCF but I just don’t get why we have to pick at each other. Why can’t we see the good a particular thing or action might produce rather than bite and devour each other, and for what? Just because someone’s opinion or method is different than what we are used to, we have to ridicule? I don’t get it…
First of all, I don’t know of anyone who is happy about this situation, and prefers internet services over assembling together. So in my opinion,
Hebrews 10 doesn’t even belong in a conversation about today’s situation. Every pastor and every child of God would MUCH rather be in the physical building… but let’s not forget, the building is NOT the Church… it is just the place where we meet. I ought to be able to worship anywhere, under any circumstances because I am the Church.
Secondly, why must we ridicule what another man of God feels to do as he shepherd’s the saints placed in his care by God during this trying time? The accounting for their souls should not be open for discussion on social media… every pastor will stand individually before the Lord to answer for how they handled every situation, including a stay-at-home mandate.
And so some mock ‘virtual’ communion, but why? Because it is not distributed under their watchful care… really?
The Rock Church in Elk Grove is having ‘parking lot service’ Sunday morning, and communion. Each family will bring their own elements… Sis. Wilson demonstrated beautifully online Thursday evening on how to make unleavened bread, followed by a wonderful lesson on communion.
The POA had communion Palm Sunday, and it was beautiful…
Bottom line as I see it from my house... we can discern the Lord's body in our home or front seat of our car. The sanctuary is not what makes it holy...
So in the subject of altar calls and baptism… I’m going to address these together…
What is SO farfetched about making an altar call online? Do churches make altar calls in their regular Live streamed services anyway? Why mock this? People can repent and receive the Holy Ghost anywhere, at anytime.
As for baptism… an Apostolic pastor was teaching an online Bible study recently, and felt led to ask anyone who wanted to be baptized to contact him. Two folks from out of state did, and received instruction from the church staff re the importance/necessity of baptism…
The pastor then called the family, the saved mother took her grown daughter to the bathtub where the pastor prayed over the water, as y’all always do… then he said, ‘according to the confession of your faith, I now baptize you in the Name of the Lord Jesus!’ The girl was immersed with the Name of Jesus called over her!
Dire circumstances call for dire measures… so tell me, what would YOU rather have been done? Wait until she could walk into a brick building where a preacher could put her under? Are we not about the saving of the soul?
As for the UPCI and WPF doing online services… folks are allowed to change their view in order to reach the masses, or don’t you think so?
The 1st century saints didn’t have a keyboard, so maybe we shouldn’t either… is that the mindset here? We read the Bible from a cell phone, and even return a tithe online or text… is any of this wrong? As long as we are not changing the doctrine of salvation and separation unto the Lord, who really should care if they were once against the internet and are now preaching on it?
One more thing… as for this being fake/hoax or whatever… I PERSONALLY know people who have died or were near death due to COVID-19…
Andrew Coffield… 29 year old youth pastor was at death’s door last week. I have known Andrew all of his life, so this is not some celebrity claiming sickness… this is real life, folks. It was extremely critical, but he has since recovered and is home, praise the Lord!
My brother pastors a church in Illinois, and PESONALLY knows several pastors in his state with the virus, including his district superintendent…
My former pastor’s wife from the COOLJC passed last week from complications due to COVID-19…
A UPCI pastor’s wife from Escanaba, MI passed two days from COVID-19…
Two of my nieces work in a nursing home, and have witnessed several residents passing away from COVID-19…
And Pastor Gerald Guevara, longtime missionary to Spain is critical… I have heard him preach several times as Pastor Gerald is closely associated with our local church. He desperately needs our prayers as I write…
It grieves me to think that instead of all of this going back in forth… is it real or a hoax? Do we hibernate until it’s over, maybe erring on the side of caution, or just ignore it… why not join together as one Body in fasting and prayer and leave the bickering to the world?
If Bro. Spell wants to open the doors of the church house the consequences, if any, are his responsibility. If it is a mistake it is on him. And if my pastor preaches tomorrow online, he is doing what he feels is best for us. And I tell you frankly, with my compromised immune system and that of my mother I wouldn’t be there even if the doors were open.
That is NOT fear. That is wisdom.
In the final analysis what are we accomplishing here? Have any of you brought someone to the place of changing their opinion on COVID-19, and the services online deal based solely on your comments? I tell you true, I am not naïve enough to think that my sharing my thoughts this morning will change anyone’s mind…
So in the words of Rodney King, ‘why can’t we all just get along?’ The fact that this is a forum should not excuse the remarks made in these threads. We are one family… God’s family. Right or wrong, who are any of us to stand in judgment against another?
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