Finding Truth: The Source of Confidence

1 Corinthians 12:12, 20

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ… As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

 

I’m tired of COVID-19, aren’t you? It has truly affected us in ways we can’t even imagine or articulate. There is no area of our lives that has been untouched by this virus. I am extremely blessed that most of the way it has affected me have been minor inconveniences, but as time goes on the deeper affects become more apparent. For many people, this season has been devastating and revealing.

 

It’s been devastating for some as they have lost job, income and even family. I was listening to a news broadcast about how the quarantine has resulted in a 30% uptick in divorce rates in Australia (sorry I didn’t look up the USA stats). I watched a video of a father who shared how his 12 year old son committed suicide as a result of the isolation during the quarantine.

 

It’s been revealing as it has brought out fears, anxiety, stressors and sinful habits. It is so important that we have patience with one another during this because the emotional toll is so complex. The things that brought confidence, or seemingly brought confidence, have been removed and the insecurities become magnified.

 

One of the biggest areas for me personally have been losing the simple connections that come from handshakes and hugs. I’ve always been a hugger and enjoy handshakes, and social distancing is hard for me. Appropriate physical contact has been lost for many people and often times is the only way they can shake off their depression, as was the case for this girl as she shares her story. And here are 7 reasons why we should hug. I didn’t even have time to watch the plethora of Ted Talks and phycologists talking about it, but there is a ton.

 

The community of the church is a gift God has given us to help us feel less alone in this world. When Jesus saved you, He didn’t save you to isolation but to community. You are part of the Body of Christ and when you are active in His Word and in His community it brings confidence in this world.

 

Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

 

You have been gifted by God to encourage the community of faith and to be encouraged by the community of faith. We have been fortunate to be able to stay connected digitally during this quarantine, but it can never replace physical presence. It’s hard to actively share our gifts when we are not together.

 

Every part is important. As hard as this season has been, I do think it is revealing to each of us the importance of being present and active in the church. In the video, Finding Truth Session 3, we heard Sydney’s testimony that her family knew the Bible, went to church but didn’t live out the Christian faith. Church wasn’t important to her and she drifted from God.

 

When we become too familiar with the pattern of going to church, hearing a sermon and going home without anything changing, we miss out of the supernatural event that is taking place. We essentially become practical atheists; we acknowledge the existence of God but live our lives like He doesn’t exist. This is why the world thinks Christians are hypocrites, because they have not allowed the Spirit of God to change their lives.

 

My prayer is that the break we have had from regular meetings will cause an excitement and importance to what God has provided. That we cease from being “regular attenders” and become “active participants.” Church is not supposed to be another entertainment choice where you show up, watch the event and leave. It’s supposed to be the fellowship of the saints centered around the instruction of the Word and celebration of our God through song.

 

Read Ephesians 4:11-16

 

I have had a hard time for the last several years with the word “ministry.” You may have heard it used, as I have used it in the past, by some saying, “I’m going into the ministry.” When used like that, it reveals they have been trained to think that ministry is a profession in a church, on the mission field or with a para-church organization. It makes me sad to hear it used like that because it makes so many people feel excluded from ministry.

 

Ministry is something all genuine believers should participate in. It is not a professional position and ministry should not be relegated to the clergy. When we read Ephesians 4:11-16, we see that God gave pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. My job is not “the ministry,” but rather is to equip you for ministry.

 

You live on the frontlines of the spiritual war and have the opportunity to be a minister of the Gospel in whatever vocation you find yourself in. God has called you and gifted you in different ways but to be a part of the same body. I am in the pastoral ministry, you may be in the engineering ministry, the education ministry, the mechanic ministry, the home keeper ministry, the counseling ministry, the health ministry, and so on.

 

You are called by God, gifted by God and empowered by the Spirit to use your gifts, talents and education to serve the world and point people to Jesus (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10). Doing less that that will always lead to insecurities and dissatisfaction.

 

How would your day change if you realized that you are making an eternal impact on people every day in the work that you do?

 

Colossians 1:27

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Read that again and again. Thing about this glorious mystery, that Christ in you is the hope of glory. When you are in God’s Word and are active in Church the Spirit of Christ will give you the confidence to live in such a way as to point others to Jesus. It’s a simple formula, but is a divine work.

 

Church isn’t gathering for entertainment. It is a supernatural gathering that infuses us with the confidence in our God to live out of faith in our vocations. We gather to share our lives together, to greet one another warmly, to hear instructions from His Word, to sing out in celebration and to join together in unity.

 

Yes this quarantine has robbed us of some time, and many of us feel the drain. But it also has sharpened the awareness of my  need for the gathered community and the importance of being intentional when we gather again.

 

I look forward to the day we are all together again, that social distancing will be lifted and we can greet each other with a hug or handshake again. Until that time, know that you are a vital part of the Body of Christ and you are gifted and called to bless the church by being you.