The Perspective of Team Stay-Home-From-Church During a Pandemic

A wise man (my Dad) once said: never use faith when you should use wisdom." It's a powerful reminder that you have been given the right tools to make the right decisions. Some are pure faith, others will be made from the wisdom God has instilled in you through His Holy Spirit.

Going out in faith may not be the answer if staying home in wisdom is the more appropriate decision. God has given you the ability to discern!

In Luke 4, Peters mother-in-law had fallen very ill with a fever, back in the days when there wasnt any ibuprofen to help her out and she did not attend any church gatherings. In fact, Luke, a physician, noted that she was at home.

In Acts 28:8 when Paul had shipwrecked on the island of Malta he visited the home of a sick man: It happened that the father of Publius lay at home sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and, placing his hands on him, prayed and healed him. In John 11, Lazarus fell deathly ill and stayed in his home.

Psalm 41:3 says, The Lord will sustain them on the sickbed;You will restore all his lying down in his illness.

The point is this: If youre sick,stay home in bed. But, while your body may be weak, your spirit can be strengthened through listening to the Word of God via an audiobook and through sermons about faith and healing and Gods faithfulness.

And your soul can be refreshed and uplifted by tuning in to your own church online.

There are plenty of options to squeeze in some preaching and teaching if you decide to stay home from church. Plenty of people use those options liberally (even when coronavirus isnt an issue). And while watching church online is all right, it really should be seen as more of a spiritual stop-gap until you can get back to church.

There are numerous reasons why the Word of God impresses upon Christians the necessity of meeting together. So unless you have a communicable illness, an emergency, a physical handicap, or are taking care of the poor/widow/orphan, its very wise and fulfilling to get to church.

If youre home because you dont want to get sick, then build others up by posting encouraging Scriptures on your social media. Exhort. Write out a prayer and share it. Send texts. Share your churchs broadcast with others. Post a favorite worship song. Go live and share some thoughts with your friends and family. Speak faith. Share a testimony.

If youre at home because you are sick, ask for help and ask for people to pray with you. James wrote that the effective, fervent prayer of the righteous produces powerful results. (James 5:16)

Photo Credit: GettyImages/fizkes

Excerpt from:

Should Coronavirus Stop Us from Going to Church? - Crosswalk.com