As the scenario of Sar-Cov-2 is rapidly increasing in our midst, so rise the responsibility of the individuals and leaders. We need to pray more for our health workers and administration. They greatly need it. And one of the best ways we can WALK OUR PRAYER is by observing maximum restraint individually. If we pray but do not restrict ourselves and maintain discipline to prevent the transmission, it has no meaning of our prayers. The best way we can show our love to our health workers, those near and dear ones and cooperate with district administration is by cooperating with them in maintaining personal discipline and putting in place a strict but humane and regulated system in our own respective areas of influence – that life will not totally come to a grinding halt but goes on with well managed and administered system.
Recently I was asked to give a presentation during the Global Outcomes Conference specially arranged for India Church Leaders Digital Conference organized by Christian Leadership Alliance. The topic given to me was, “The Spiritual Impact of Covid-19 and the Church’s Response”. Spirituality is essential was the most important highlight of my presentation.
There can be a danger that all other life’s essential things and matters take precedence of spirituality in this present crisis. Those who are still living inside the influenced of the fall at Eden may not be able to comprehend the essentiality of spirituality. But those who experienced new life in Christ and are spirituality connected with God, the Father, we know, experience and understand that spirituality and connection with God is essential. Augustine of Hippo understood this and so made this statement in The Confessions, “Thou has made us for thyself and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” The hunger of God’s people and thirst for continuous connection and relationship with God can be understood in various passages from the Bible (Psalm 42:1-2; Isaiah 2:3; Acts 17:28: Psalm 63:1; 84:10; Micah 4:2). This spiritual relationship and connection is essential. It is 24X7! In such a time as this, what is our vision and mission that all people of God can still be growing in their spirituality and remains vibrant.
Since spirituality is essential, it can be taken care with maximum restraint, professionalism and strict discipline and a highly regulated system in place by orienting and giving thorough trainings to the local youths. The respective local church leadership must own and take up responsibility along with youth leaders.
Life must not come to a grinding halt. It must go on even during covid. But the way it must go on at this present crisis, there is a great need to adapt and adopt. It makes me question our society's attitude, resilient, discipline in facing life's circumstances and disasters, consistency and wisdom a hundred times - because till this very week in our town's ATM booths I saw 4/ 5 persons inside the small booth still gathering around at the same time, organized ongoing marriage celebration or funeral services like normal times, etc. If we do not adapt, evolve and adopt new lifestyle and reorient our thinking at this juncture, for what time are we keeping our wisdom to call us for adaptation and versatility?
I am sad deep down observing our societies non-conformist attitude in obeying laws, systems and orders (specially our attitude of arrogance and pride which the indwelling of the Holy Spirit must reduce to a great measure) and finding extreme difficulty in adapting to lifestyle according to some needs. Because, these are evidence and a reflection of our inner lives and hearts not transforming. I can count 101 areas where our society is overdue in inner and internal transformation by the power of the gospel (eg. Village administration, land distribution system and private property in the light of theology of land, women representation in the administration of our society and political system, elderly treatment, rights and welfares of our elderly and children, free flow of business system lead by local entrepreneurs and business persons and where local business interests are protected by local law - under ADCC, and by the public, etc). And if the gospel does not transform us internally by our own volition, we will be force to transform by anti-gospel of external forces. And that will be the beginning of the end of our civilization. We are in a race against time - either we speed up transformational movement in the power of Jesus Christ or we still casually, without any sense of urgency, go about our affairs and wait for anti-gospel external forces to take us all down in history – including everything that we hold dear and true.
In the midst of this, if we think spirituality and missions can wait while foods and health are only essentials, then we will be in for a shock that the enemy will already conquer the lands and fields.
Meanwhile, we praise God some of our Churches once again started observing strict protocol and release communications to our members. Video, facebook and Youtube are good means to reach the masses. But in person gathering can still go on with necessary systems and persons to regulate it. Few days back, I had a long conversation with one of the key Shillong Church leaders. This is what he said his Church put in place. They have 5 rotation services on Sundays. In one service, one locality gathers with maximum 50 persons. On week days, since the attendance is few, they have no problems in maintaining physical distance. This calls for vision, commitment and taking ownership and responsibility in our own respective local churches. Spiritual is essential. What are we doing about it in our own area of influence? In no time and areas of human history can we take spiritual vacation. The word of God from Leviticus 6:13, “The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out” is for the Church in such a time as this!
Note: The writer is a strategist, mission mobilizer and transformational servant in God’s kingdom. The other article which he contributed to earlier DEW edition can be read at EBCCDelhi blog:
https://blog.ebccdelhi.org/lockdown-is-a-platform-to-be-a-champion-for-christ/
