October 2021
The Prior to Covid Church & the Semi-Post Covid Church
In our very own lives, we cannot control as much as we want to believe we can. I cannot control the weather, a win for my favorite sports team, or the exact time the customer service representative will take me off hold and talk to me.
In the book of Acts, the church exploded on the scene and the Holy Spirit was released. Peter preaches the guts of the gospel (death & resurrection of Jesus) to a large crowd where 3,000 people repented of their sins and received the Holy Spirit. Soon, people began meeting with each other, studying the word of God together, and sharing their lives together. In these small groups they were encouraged and grew in their faith. Such groups expanded the church and still do today.
We know that the church cannot be defined by bricks and wood, but by the people redeemed by the blood of Christ. A people who, having turned from their sinful selfish ways, have turned to God. A people hungering for God and His Kingdom in a world that often marginalizes the Savior. However, this is nothing new. Whether Noah, Moses, or the prophets in the Old Testament or the believers throughout the New Testament we see this illustrated frequently.
We see people choosing to follow Jesus.
Throughout Europe for some time now, church buildings are being sold and are being turned into Mosque’s and a variety of restaurants. A fast, growing category of “religion” in our country are known as “nones.” (Those unaffiliated with any religion) The average attendance at church in America is now eighty and under. Since Covid, statistics now show a thirty percent drop in worship attendance compared to pre-Covid numbers. Churches adjusted through, the use of video, livestreaming, meeting via zoom, meeting together and then not meeting together. The redeemed people of God, despite the various obstacles, kept marching on.
In the movie Castaway Tom Hanks plays the character of a man isolated on an island for four years. You may have felt isolated or continue to feel isolated. Listen to the words again in Acts 2: they came together in small groups, shared their lives, and grew in their faith.
It is not a new idea. Unlike the setting in Acts, we can meet together in the convenience of our home with this thing called our computer or cellphone. It’s not my first choice. But in a world of “isolation”, we can and need to connect and encourage each other in Jesus.
A church where everyone is part of a small group,
Pastor Rich Edwards