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Misreading The Pandemic

Posted by Joshua Claycamp on

At a time in British Columbia when the government was ordering the closure of churches and issuing fines to churches that refused to close, Pastor Joshua Claycamp delivered a message to the congregation at First Baptist Church of Kamloops on a Wednesday evening, December 9th, entitled, "Worship in the Midst of a Pandemic." This sermon sought to answer the question, biblically, of who had authority over the Lord's church and whether or not it was right to halt the worship of Jesus Christ for the sake of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is an excerpt from that message. In this passage, Pastor Joshua encouraged the church to see the pandemic in light of God's perspective on history and the end towards which He is guiding humanity.

To read the message in its entirety, please click here. Excerpt follows:

Are we reading this pandemic the wrong way?

As I said previously, we are on this journey together. Anytime you take a road trip, you are given signs along the side of the road in order to tell you how far you are from your destination. There will be signs posted that will inform you what the maximum speed is, and there will be other signs directing you to take certain turns and exits off the main road in order to arrive at your destination. Travel requires the use of signs. When it comes to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are being given a prophetic sign from God. And I fear that we are reading it the wrong way…

Regarding worship, the author of Hebrews gives us this incredible commandment:

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV)

What is often not considered is that we are exhorted to do this more and more as the Day of the Lord draws near, not less and less. The author of Hebrews is exhorting Christian brothers and sisters to be even more diligent and faithful in their pursuit of gathering for worship as the signs of the Day of the Lord grow more and more common.

Is this plague of Covid-19 one of the signs of the coming Day of the Lord? Who among us can deny that this is the case, that Covid-19 is a sign of the darkening times? This is a world-wide pandemic that has gripped everyone in fear. As a sign of the coming Day of the Lord, this road marker should be received by Christians from the hand of God as a “turn now” sign, an encouragement to press forward with the worship gathering, not an excuse to fall away from worship.

What are some of the signs of the coming Day of the Lord? Luke tells us in Luke 21,

“And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:8–11, ESV)

Pestilence is clearly and explicitly a sign of the coming Day of the Lord. As we see the Day drawing nearer, we are to be more persistent in gathering as a church to worship God. The Lord certainly did not give us signs to look for, signs that would indicate the approaching Day of His return, in order for us to use those same signs to justify falling away from the rest of the church family and avoiding the worship gathering. He gives us these signs as an encouragement to continue worshipping Him and to continue gathering in worship.

If you see headlines of the spread of Covid-19 and conclude that you are meant by God to stay home, especially when you are not at serious risk from the virus, you are not reading the sign in the right way. God is giving you the sign of Covid-19 as an encouragement to go to church. Let us receive this sign in faith and submission to Him.

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This is an excerpt from a sermon delivered on December 9th, 2020. To read the whole thing, click here.

Or you can watch this video in which Holly and Pastor Josh reflect on the struggle to gather for worship after enduring the pandemic for nearly two years.

Tags: worship, ceasar, pandemic, covid

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