Is Covid-19 A Judgment On The Church?
Revelation 2:20“Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21“And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22“Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23“I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Dear American Church,
If Covid 19 is a judgment on the church... And we can disagree on whether or not it is... Then the only answer is repentance. To humble ourselves before God, tell Him we are sorry, and ask Him to heal us and help us follow Him more closely. (This is always a good idea, btw... So even if we got the timing wrong, we would really be wise to do this):
1 John 1:7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
It seemed like the church was having some real relational problems going in to this. Maybe we have some things to confess?
- Maybe we shouldn't have let clearly ego-driven leaders preach the flesh in the name of Jesus?
- Maybe God has had enough of us touting faithful people like Graham, Johnson, Bickle, MacArthur, Moore, Chan, et al... As the ones who truly know God and should be listened to instead of knowing God and listening to Him ourselves? What if he doesn't like what it does to THEIR hearts and to ours? What if OUR "honor" has turned into division and false worship?
- What if God has tired of our unwillingness to speak truth in love when it comes to people in power? What if our indifference is a big problem for God because He loves us AND leaders?
1 Corinthians 1:12Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Does self seeking and division make us sick?
1 Cor 11:27Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
(This, in context, is directly attributed to factions and selfishness)
- Maybe God holds us accountable for not taking the time to know Him and instead thinking church should be entertaining and big... like a Bon Jovi concert?
- Maybe God wants us ready to be a witness of his healing and he has decided to heal us first?
- Maybe there is a reason for the countless stories of this particular sickness spreading through churches and Christian conferences?
- Maybe there is a reason that everyone is stuck with online church? Maybe God is giving us a taste of what is really in our hearts: to pay a fee for Christian services, make church more convenient, let the professionals entertain us while convincing us God is pleased with us for manning the ministries no one in leadership wants to do and we should just keep supporting the cause so God can "win the city" (read acts 6-9).
- Maybe God cares about more than "stopping abortion"?
Maybe...
Maybe not. Maybe COVID-19 is a scheme of the devil, or Wuhan scientists...maybe it's a conspiracy to derail our president from his plan to sow forgiveness, praying for our enemies, blessing those who curse us, generosity, fasting and praying and a desire for righteousness across the fruited plain....
If God is completely disconnected from COVID-19... If it is a scheme of the enemy to take down our president, stop our stadium gatherings, and derail "our prosperity" then it is doing a really good job defeating "god".
If it's our lack of united prayer against the "enemies of God"... if our inability of unitedly "binding Jezebel" has us on the ropes, then we are in deep trouble. If that is truly the case, then God really must not have been very powerful in the first place. If we think our "Christmas spirit needs to move the clausometer" then there is really no reason to do all that sanctification Jesus kept describing. We better find a group of esoteric, or even better, scientific, people to tell us what to do and hope that we make it. (not hope to God, though, because he can't seem to beat this one)
Obviously, I think this is a judgment on the church, because God hasn't given up on the church yet. God's judgments are His love. They are His loving disruptions to get us to consider who He really is and what He really wants. Friends, It's time to take the precious from the vile. If we believe in a sovereign God, we must repent. If not, who do we believe in?
The devil isn't an equal and opposite force opposing God. He is created. He literally has to ask permission to test us.
God isn't hoping we bind Jezebel before we stop paying her to preach fun things to us...you can't bind something you keep flinging wide the gate to! God wants us to repent for sharing an altar with Jezebel, listening to her, and letting her teach our kids to be selfish, lustful, hateful, and unforgiving, yet still preaching "love" (primarily love of self with a heavy dose of ideas that require a Go Fund Me acount). He wants us to stop feeding our hearts and wallets to the false prophets that preach division for their own gain...
Revelation 13:4So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” 5And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
All authority belongs to Jesus. He is the one who grants this authority to the beast to war against the church. The lamb also opens the seals in Revelation 6 directs the angels to blow the trumpets in Rev 8-9, and to pour out the bowls in Rev 16. God says clearly He will let the devil test us in this hour.
We don't need to defeat the devil, we need to submit to the one who does all that... who allows all that... to GET the submission to Himself.... in the first place. We need to SUBMIT to God, then resist the devil's attempts to get us to love the world and fight for it! THEN the devil will flee from us.
Sickness CLEARLY is a tool God promises to use to get believers to repent and come back into right standing with God. Clearly:
James 5:14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Not all sickness is judgment for sin... but this is where we should always start. It wouldn't hurt us either way to humble ourselves and repent. We really need it, friends.
God is trying to show the church something, and the world is paying the price. We really need to repent. If we repent, the world will see us as a witness and many will come out of the world.
What comes next is the world retaliating for our lack of humility.
Matthew 24:7“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8“All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
We can get safe from what comes next right now... but we have to persevere in meekness and humility... little strength, not denying the name of Jesus, and let Him open and shut the doors:
Revelation 3:10“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Dear American Church,
If Covid 19 is a judgment on the church... And we can disagree on whether or not it is... Then the only answer is repentance. To humble ourselves before God, tell Him we are sorry, and ask Him to heal us and help us follow Him more closely. (This is always a good idea, btw... So even if we got the timing wrong, we would really be wise to do this):
1 John 1:7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
It seemed like the church was having some real relational problems going in to this. Maybe we have some things to confess?
- Maybe we shouldn't have let clearly ego-driven leaders preach the flesh in the name of Jesus?
- Maybe God has had enough of us touting faithful people like Graham, Johnson, Bickle, MacArthur, Moore, Chan, et al... As the ones who truly know God and should be listened to instead of knowing God and listening to Him ourselves? What if he doesn't like what it does to THEIR hearts and to ours? What if OUR "honor" has turned into division and false worship?
- What if God has tired of our unwillingness to speak truth in love when it comes to people in power? What if our indifference is a big problem for God because He loves us AND leaders?
1 Corinthians 1:12Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Does self seeking and division make us sick?
1 Cor 11:27Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
(This, in context, is directly attributed to factions and selfishness)
- Maybe God holds us accountable for not taking the time to know Him and instead thinking church should be entertaining and big... like a Bon Jovi concert?
- Maybe God wants us ready to be a witness of his healing and he has decided to heal us first?
- Maybe there is a reason for the countless stories of this particular sickness spreading through churches and Christian conferences?
- Maybe there is a reason that everyone is stuck with online church? Maybe God is giving us a taste of what is really in our hearts: to pay a fee for Christian services, make church more convenient, let the professionals entertain us while convincing us God is pleased with us for manning the ministries no one in leadership wants to do and we should just keep supporting the cause so God can "win the city" (read acts 6-9).
- Maybe God cares about more than "stopping abortion"?
Maybe...
Maybe not. Maybe COVID-19 is a scheme of the devil, or Wuhan scientists...maybe it's a conspiracy to derail our president from his plan to sow forgiveness, praying for our enemies, blessing those who curse us, generosity, fasting and praying and a desire for righteousness across the fruited plain....
If God is completely disconnected from COVID-19... If it is a scheme of the enemy to take down our president, stop our stadium gatherings, and derail "our prosperity" then it is doing a really good job defeating "god".
If it's our lack of united prayer against the "enemies of God"... if our inability of unitedly "binding Jezebel" has us on the ropes, then we are in deep trouble. If that is truly the case, then God really must not have been very powerful in the first place. If we think our "Christmas spirit needs to move the clausometer" then there is really no reason to do all that sanctification Jesus kept describing. We better find a group of esoteric, or even better, scientific, people to tell us what to do and hope that we make it. (not hope to God, though, because he can't seem to beat this one)
Obviously, I think this is a judgment on the church, because God hasn't given up on the church yet. God's judgments are His love. They are His loving disruptions to get us to consider who He really is and what He really wants. Friends, It's time to take the precious from the vile. If we believe in a sovereign God, we must repent. If not, who do we believe in?
The devil isn't an equal and opposite force opposing God. He is created. He literally has to ask permission to test us.
God isn't hoping we bind Jezebel before we stop paying her to preach fun things to us...you can't bind something you keep flinging wide the gate to! God wants us to repent for sharing an altar with Jezebel, listening to her, and letting her teach our kids to be selfish, lustful, hateful, and unforgiving, yet still preaching "love" (primarily love of self with a heavy dose of ideas that require a Go Fund Me acount). He wants us to stop feeding our hearts and wallets to the false prophets that preach division for their own gain...
Revelation 13:4So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” 5And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
All authority belongs to Jesus. He is the one who grants this authority to the beast to war against the church. The lamb also opens the seals in Revelation 6 directs the angels to blow the trumpets in Rev 8-9, and to pour out the bowls in Rev 16. God says clearly He will let the devil test us in this hour.
We don't need to defeat the devil, we need to submit to the one who does all that... who allows all that... to GET the submission to Himself.... in the first place. We need to SUBMIT to God, then resist the devil's attempts to get us to love the world and fight for it! THEN the devil will flee from us.
Sickness CLEARLY is a tool God promises to use to get believers to repent and come back into right standing with God. Clearly:
James 5:14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Not all sickness is judgment for sin... but this is where we should always start. It wouldn't hurt us either way to humble ourselves and repent. We really need it, friends.
God is trying to show the church something, and the world is paying the price. We really need to repent. If we repent, the world will see us as a witness and many will come out of the world.
What comes next is the world retaliating for our lack of humility.
Matthew 24:7“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8“All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
We can get safe from what comes next right now... but we have to persevere in meekness and humility... little strength, not denying the name of Jesus, and let Him open and shut the doors:
Revelation 3:10“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
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