What has been interesting (and sad) to see is the polarizing response from Christians. Some rallying around “freedom,” others rallying around those “at risk.” Others quietly doing their own thing trying not to get caught up in the crossfire.

The Bible doesn’t say much about what to do in a pandemic, but in what ways might it speak to this situation and to government mandates today?

The Bible and Government Mandates

Jesus and the disciples lived during a time of a very heavy-handed government. The Romans were not known for their democratic ways or for upholding human rights (to put it mildly). During the times of Jesus and the apostles, the Roman Empire was ruled by Tiberius, Caligula, and then Nero – they were brutal and sadistic, killing enemies, family members, and innocent onlookers alike (a simple google search will prove the point). It was a time of terrible abuse and brutality. Which makes one wonder…why didn’t Jesus or the apostles do more to oppose the government?

In reading through the Gospels, we see that Jesus gave a very unexpected response to such government overreach. In one of His most famous statements (one that even most non-Christians would know), He called people to “go the second mile” (Matt. 5:41). The context of that statement was the ruthless treatment of people by the Roman soldiers who could force anyone to carry something for them. It was a mandate that imposed a harsh burden on just about anyone, at any time. Yet rather than stir up the disciples to a political protest, Jesus did just the opposite. He did not confront the authorities by shouting: “You are not treating us fairly, God wants to give us liberty! I came to set the captives FREEEE!” Instead, Jesus taught, “if they ask you to go one mile, go with them two.” In other words, the disciples were to submit to the harsh government mandate, model a loving, serving, self-sacrificing heart, and go an extra mile with them. Perhaps in that extra mile they could even share the reason for why they were doing so. Maybe the soldiers would get curious as to their different attitude…perhaps the mandate could be an opportunity for mission.

Perhaps the mandate could be an opportunity for mission.

This of course is in the wider context of the Sermon on the Mount—a series of teachings that is quite out-of-step with our modern world today. In Matthew 5:39 Jesus taught the disciples to “turn the other cheek” rather than retaliate when slapped. He insisted that they “love their enemy and pray for those who persecute you” (5:44). Earlier He had taught that it was the “meek,” the “pure,” the “peacemakers,” and the “persecuted” who were blessed (see the Beatitudes in Matt. 5:3-10).

I think that in this present pandemic, Jesus would call us to arm ourselves with the same attitude (and not with picketing protests). What if the response from followers of Jesus was, “You say I should wear a mask to protect from the virus? Sure, I’ll do that—plus, I’ll volunteer to help somewhere.” Or, “You want me to get a vaccine? No problem—and I’ll open up my church as a drop-in center to help as well.”

In this way, we turn the mandate into an opportunity for mission.

Now, this doesn’t mean we personally agree with vaccines or the mask mandate (any more than the disciples were to agree with the Roman “mile” rule). But what the Biblical pattern seems to be is obedience to the rule, while working to change the hearts of the rulers through Gospel witness and advocating righteousness.

In another instance Jesus gave this teaching regarding the religious rulers who had mandates of their own: “obey them…but do not do what they do” (Matt. 23:1-3). In other words, submit to their leadership, but when it comes your turn to lead, do it differently. Lead in a Christlike way.

What about Paul?

Paul the apostle encourages this same heart attitude, summarized by his statement “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). In fact, Paul’s teaching in this context (Rom. 12:9-21) very much parallels Jesus’ – blessing those who persecute, helping those who oppose you, and so on. Interestingly, he says all this just before his statements in Romans 13:1-7 to submit to the governing authorities—again, despite the fact that those authorities were harsh and ungodly.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God, and those that exist have been appointed by God. (Romans 13:1)

But what about Paul resisting the government by claiming his right not to be beaten (Acts 22:25), someone might ask? That does not erase either what Jesus said, or what Paul himself wrote. In fact, what Paul was doing in that instance was merely following the local laws: he knew the laws, and he knew his rights—though he didn’t always insist on his rights. He had served jail time and received many a beating before! But in this instance, Paul was neither rude nor provocative. He reminded them of his rights and then got on with the task of testifying of Jesus. (Not expounding on personal liberties or the negative characteristics of those in government).

The Call to Deny Ourselves

Once again, despite living in one of the most repressive governments, neither Jesus nor the apostles gave a call to protest or revolt. In fact, running through the New Testament is quite the opposite – a call to deny your own rights, to lay down your own life, to put the needs of others before your own. This laying down of our rights is what Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM, used to call “Winning God’s Way” (I’d recommend that book, by the way…now republished as “Making Jesus Lord“).

But rather than denying ourselves, in many of our churches we have been taught that we can come to Christ and hold on to our selves, our desires, our wants. “You can follow your dreams, and get to heaven too!” We like our middle-class way of life, our freedom to do what we want, to enjoy a rather untroubled existence…and we don’t like anything that gets in the way of that. We have turned the teachings of Jesus around so that we think life, liberty, and happiness are somehow the end goal of the Scriptures. But the opposite is true: Jesus clearly stated, “if anyone wants to follow me they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

If you’re not willing to deny yourself with the little act of putting on a mask, how will you deny yourself in big things? Yes, a mask is annoying…but so is going the second mile. So is turning the other cheek. Yet as Christians we are called to “follow in his steps” in the path of suffering (1 Pet. 2:21), not retaliating, but trusting our Father in heaven as we serve and love and witness. Not worried about mandates, but focused on our mission.

When to Disobey?

So is there ever a time to disobey or protest? Well, we see the disciples refusing to be silenced in regards to witnessing about Jesus. Our mission as believers is to make Jesus known (not to advance middle-class liberties, as nice as they are). If a government tells you that you cannot talk about Jesus, then you have a Biblical case for continuing to speak about Him (see Peter in Acts 4:19). Not to picket or protest for personal rights, but to witness of Jesus. So, for example, when my family and I lived in China, we witnessed as creatively as we could during the years we were there, despite government restrictions against religious activity. We brought Christian literature in, taught believers, and so on. And we prayed for a groundswell of Christians who, over time, would bring change to the way things are done.

The apostle Peter himself, though he would not keep quiet about Jesus, did not advocate rebellion. Rather, he wrote:

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. ¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (1 Peter 2:13-17, NIV)

For more on the Bible and civil disobedience, see this post.

What to do about Injustice?

This does not mean that Christians sit back and let sin and injustice go unchecked. We stand up for truth, for human rights and freedoms. After all, it has often been Christians at the forefront of pioneering change, bringing an end to such things as slavery, suttee, and many other injustices. In our work in Asia we advocate for change—in regards to refugee rights, child trafficking, the care of orphans, and so on. But we do so through proper channels, and always attempt to do so in a Christlike spirit.

So during this stressful season, where we all want to get back to “normal” life, let’s remember our Master. Let’s “spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume” (2 Cor. 2:14, NLT). Don’t get sidetracked by mandates, but serve in our mission: to make Jesus known through word and deed, in the love and power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s do what Jesus said and go the second mile, revealing to a surprised and watching world the reasons for our faith, hope, and love – even in the midst of difficulty.

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FIRST: WE ARE TO PRAY.

I mentioned this in my last post so won’t take time to discuss it again, except to note a few references:

1. Jesus: “Watch and Pray” (Matt. 26:41).
2. Paul: “Be devoted to prayer being watchful and thankful” (Col 4:2).
3. Paul: “Pray for those in authority” (1 Tim 2:1-2).
4. Peter: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7).

SECOND: WE ARE TO WITNESS OF JESUS.

This was the commission given to us by Jesus: “Go into all the world and make disciples” (Mt. 28:19). Let’s not allow the enemy to draw focus away from Jesus and on to the antichrist or towards mere theories. Let’s keep our focus on Jesus. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3).  Let’s get back to lifting up Jesus, sharing Jesus, pointing people to Jesus during this time.

I live in a restricted country that is very much opposed to the Gospel. Our friends here – and the billions in this part of the world – don’t care two cents about one-world government theories. They barely know who Bill Gates is and aren’t concerned about the world ending. What I need to do is not present theories, but the living Jesus, who has given His powerful Spirit to testify to the truth of the Gospel message. We need to get back to doing what we have always been mandated to do: share the Gospel in the power of the Spirit.

THIRD, WE ARE TO LIVE GODLY LIVES.

Peter in his first epistle, stated that “the end of all things is near” (1 Pet 4:7). So then what did he encourage the believers to do? (See verses 7-14).

1. Be clear minded and self-controlled
2. Pray
3. Love each other
4. Offer hospitality to each other
5. Use your gifts to minister to others
6. Speak with the wisdom God gives you
7. Serve with the strength God gives you
8. Do all this so God is glorified through Christ.
9. Don’t be surprised if you suffer for being a Christian.

In other words, all these are just the basic things that Christians of all times and places are called to do. Is it the end times? Perhaps. And, if so, then great! Keep doing what you have always been called to do: love, serve, speak and minister with God’s power. And if you suffer for it, praise God! I do not write that flippantly. I have served among the persecuted church for the last 15 years and can testify that this is their attitude (as it was with the first disciples – see Acts 5:41-42).

In his second letter Peter picks up this theme again, reminding believers that one day the earth will be destroyed (2 Pet 3:10). So what are we to do? “Live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God” (v. 11). Jesus’ coming again is something to look forward to, not something to fear because of some supposed deep state agenda. Rather, we are to look forward to the coming of Christ, and in the meantime live holy and godly lives – just as we’ve been called to do all along.

In his letters to the Thessalonians Paul was just as practical. He mentions the coming of Christ in these epistles more than in any other, but not to lead people to fear. Rather, his advice was practical: “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work…so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders” (4:11,12). So what are we to do during a pandemic or in the last days? What we’ve been called to do at all times and in every place: live godly lives and let your light shine in the darkness. “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you” (5:16-18). Yes, even in pandemics, because the God of peace is with us (v. 23).

FOURTH: KEEP MINISTERING FOR JESUS.

Lastly, some thoughts sparked by what David Wells our General Superintendent shared a short while ago. He was reflecting on Matthew 25 – spoken by Jesus right after his end-time warnings in Matthew 24. What was it that Jesus called his disciples to do, in light of ‘The End’? He gave three parables with three practical messages. In fact, these are all things that Peter referred to in light of the last days and which we’ve already looked at above.

1. Be watchful (25:1-13). Like the wise virgins we should be spiritually ready at all times. (As Peter explained many years later, “be alert and pray”).
2. Minister faithfully (25:14-30). This is not a time to hide our talents, or stop focusing on what Jesus has called us to do. (As Peter said, “Use your gifts to minister to others”)
3. Remember the least of these (25:31-46). Treat others as if they were Jesus himself – “whatever you do to the least of these you do to me”. (Peter’s practical conclusion: Be hospitable, serve, help, love).

In other words, Jesus’ advice was not to dwell on theories about the timing of his coming, or get caught up in apocalyptic hype. Instead, the call is to just keep being a disciple of Jesus. Someone known for their love in the midst of evil; their peace in difficulty, their joy in hard times, and their prayer at all times. As Peter said elsewhere: “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world” (1 Pet. 2:12, NLT). So in times like these let’s not give in to fear or paranoia. Rather, let us live honorably, minister faithfully, serve whole-heartedly and pray continually!

The post Covid and Christians, part 2: What Should We Be Doing? appeared first on The Bible and the Christian.

But before we spread any more viruses viral social media posts, let’s pause and reflect on things from a Biblical perspective.

WHATEVER IS TRUE

First, is what we are sharing true? As people who follow the One who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), truth is of central importance. We are clearly told to think upon “whatever is true” (Phil 4:8). We know the Old Testament command not to bear false witness, which of course is also repeated in the New (Matt. 19:18; Eph 4:25; Col 3:9, etc). As Ed Stetser wrote in Christianity Today, bearing false witness – including by sharing unproven conspiracy theories – is still a sin, and something to be repented of. And so we must look at these theories and judge for ourselves: how much of it is true and how much is false or mere conjecture? (A pastor friend of mine posted some helpful tips on how to do this).

WHAT ARE YOU A WITNESS OF?

Many of the posts and videos I see Christians sharing are based on what “might be,” or on unproven theories. So I ask, Should Christians be spreading mere conjecture? I would answer, No! Discernment is one of the gifts of the Spirit – and one we need so much right now. One of the things it comes down to is this: are we to be known as the people who can’t be trusted? The people who share falsehood? Again, the answer is no. We are to be people of utmost integrity, people who “speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15), not conspiracies born out of fear. We are called to point people to Truth – to Jesus Himself. Christians should be recognized as people who don’t peddle mere theories, but instead preach truth. Not “might be’s” and “possiblies,” but certainties. The apostles never preached what “might be” true, they preached what was one hundred percent true. And they did this by keeping their witness and evangelism centered on Jesus, his death and resurrection. They focus on what was sure – not on spreading possible end-time scenarios. Our conspiracy theories and “may-be’s” most often serve to distract people from Him who is True. Let’s remember that in Revelation the first and continual image of Jesus is that He is the “Faithful and true witness” (Rev. 1:5; 3:14; 19:11). So let’s imitate Him and be faithful and true witnesses in all areas of life. This does not mean we can’t wonder about current events or discuss questions we have with friends. Of course we can. But when we share something on social media for the watching world to see, they will take it that we believe and support what we are posting. And so we turn from being a witness of Jesus to being a witness of whatever theory we are pushing.

WHAT IS TRUTH?

But some are saying “I am for truth! I’m trying to uncover truth that the forthcoming one world government is intent on hiding! If we are to be for truth, then I must speak even if Facebook censors me!” Ah, yes, this does present a bit of a dilemma doesn’t it? As Pilate asked two thousand years ago, “what is truth?” (John 18:38). Everyone is asserting that they are really for truth. Despite these claims, I would suggest that is not what the Scriptures mean when they encourage us to speak truth. They don’t mean trying to uncover government secrets or supposed deep state agendas. They mean, on one level: promoting Jesus who is Truth. And on a secondary, very practical level, speaking things that are not false. Scripture does not mean that we are all to consider ourselves amateur sleuths in an effort to uncover the antichrist’s agenda. Nowhere do we see the apostles trying to dig up ‘truth’ of what the very anti-Christian Roman government was doing. Instead, they were concerned about promoting Him who is the Truth.

CRISIS CHRISTIANS AND CRYING WOLF.

Like that boy that cried wolf a few too many times, the end-time watchers have made a bit of a mockery of themselves, unfortunately. First it was 1988 (remember that?), then it was the end of the world during the Gulf War, then Y2K….and there’s been a bunch more since then, like the time the world was supposed to end in 2011. Every new crisis brings out a new conspiracy theory. Non-Christians, caught up in fear and paranoia, may join you in it for some time. But over time they see that the world has not (yet) ended and they turn their backs on Christianity as a whole, as something made up of fear and conjecture. We’ve lost generations of kids who saw their parents hopes dashed again and again…and so gave up on Christ our Hope altogether. “If they were wrong about the End-times” they think, “they’re likely wrong about the rest of it too!” You see when we present theories as facts, we really begin to lose our witness. Our trustworthiness begins to disintegrate in the eyes of a watching world and our credibility plummets. The bottom line is, if we want people to trust what we say, we need to stick to that which is certain. Unfortunately, when it comes to end-time theories, we have more often floated ideas from novels than truth from Scripture (and this, even from the pulpit). As leaders and believers we really need to do a lot better with our eschatology!

ON FEAR AS A BASIS FOR EVANGELISM.

For example, nowhere in the apostolic writings do we see “fear of tribulation,” or “fear of missing the rapture” used as a basis for evangelism. Look through Acts and all the Epistles…you won’t find it. Paul and the apostles did not use end-time rapture or tribulation theories in their evangelism. Rather, we find Paul and the other apostles often using fear of the final judgement as a basis of evangelism (check out Acts 10:42; 17:31; 24:25, etc). Why? Because everyone – great or small, republican or democrat, vaccinated or not – will have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Heb 9:27). So let’s follow their lead. Not everyone who has ever lived will go through the tribulation, but absolutely everyone will stand before God and be judged. This focus on trying to figure out when the tribulation is coming, has skewed our evangelism and turned it to something not seen or modeled in Scripture. So my encouragement is this: let’s not speculate about those times and dates or even speculate whether this is the end of time. Rather, let’s lovingly remind people that whether Jesus comes back in this generation or not, we must all stand before him and be judged for what we’ve done during our days on earth.

My dear and godly grandfather, who recently passed to his heavenly reward, never saved up for retirement because Jesus was “coming soon.” Yes, that is our hope. But ‘soon’ to an eternal God is different than soon to a finite creature. My grandfather found out the hard way as he struggled financially in his latter days, that his calculations regarding the time of Christ’s return had been incorrect. So while we do indeed long for Christ’s appearing (2 Tim 4:8), right now we preach and pray and focus on what we know is presently true: No man knows the day or the hour of his coming (Mark 13:32), but what we do know is that Jesus is the way, and when we die we must all stand before him.

WATCHING AND WAITING

We are told many times in the Word of God to “keep watch”. Unfortunately, what a lot of people are watching these days is conspiracy videos that are stirring up fear. So what are we to watch for instead? If you look at Scripture you’ll see the motif of watching used throughout the Old and New Testaments. In the Old it was often used for “watchmen on the wall” who (literally) looked for enemies, and (spiritually) cried out to God in prayer…not giving up “day or night” (Isaiah 62:6). In the New, Jesus told us to “watch and pray” (Matt. 26:41). And Paul reminded us to “be devoted to prayer being watchful and thankful” (Col 4:2). And Peter states, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray” (1 Peter 4:7). The command to watch is to watch and pray. Not to speculate, but to intercede. And as we pray we are to keep in mind Paul’s words: “pray for those in authority” (1 Tim 2:1-2). We are not called to tear them down or belittle them, but to intercede for their salvation. And notice what this praying also results in: Christians living “peaceful and quiet lives” (v.2) – not ones of dissent and protest. If anyone had a right to tear down those in government it was Paul – alive during the dreaded Nero years. But we don’t hear a word of negativity or conspiracy theories regarding lost freedoms or one-world governments from him. Rather, it was encouragement to pray, to witness and to live godly lives. That’s what a watching world really needs to see. That in the midst of a pandemic, we are people of peace. That in the storms of speculation we have an Anchor and a Hope.

WHAT ARE WE TO DO?

In times like these, then, what are we to do? I cover this more in the second post, but for now I would suggest one simple thing: preach the Gospel! Focus on Jesus, not on conspiracy theories and fearful possibilities. Again, take Paul as an example. He lived during the time of Nero and the Roman Emperors, leaders who would make those in government today look like Mother Theresa. They were power-hungry, lust-filled, murderous men who killed at whim, made a sport of gruesomely killing Christians (and anyone else they wanted for that matter) and set themselves up as gods. When Paul wrote those words regarding prayer to the Colossians (“devote yourselves to prayer”), he was stuck in prison – persecuted for his faith by his fellow people and by that godless Empire. But nowhere do we see him speculating about who might really be behind it, or trying to uncover if the emperor was the antichrist, or what the mark of the beast was. What do we see him doing? Focusing on JESUS, preaching Jesus, speaking of Jesus. He wasn’t driven by fear, or hype, or speculation. Rather, he was driven by one motive: preach the Gospel.

ON LOSING OUR FREEDOM

The great apostle wasn’t worried about losing his “freedom,” – he’d already willingly given it up!  As he said: “I’ve counted everything a loss for the sake of Christ” (Phil. 3:7,8). This echoes what Jesus had said years earlier, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24). Many of Paul’s letters were from prisons where he’d lost all freedom. Yet he wasn’t there to ‘preach end time theories’ – either speculative or plausible – but preach Christ. “We proclaim Him!” he said from his cell (Col 1:28). And in this day and age that’s what the watching world needs to hear: not more theories that will be debunked in a few months or years, but more of Jesus! Writing to Timothy from prison, just a short while before he was killed by that ruthless Empire, Paul was able to write: “We have not been given the spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Oh, how we need that today! How we need the perfect love of Jesus that “drives out fear” (1 John 4:18) because we know that, live or die, we will be with Him!

Just over 100 years ago in 1918 (as our denomination was forming), the “Spanish Flu” was spreading – and at a much deadlier rate than the present virus – infecting a third of the globe and killing at least half a million in North America. Our forefathers, fresh from Azusa Street, weren’t preoccupied with whether a foreign power was behind the virus, or if the country leaders were somehow trying to take away their freedom through this turn of events. Rather, they had a new power, they had a vibrant faith, they had a fresh passion kindled for Jesus and a renewed purpose in life. Their goal was to proclaim Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, not get sucked in to half-truths and paranoia. (Updated: here’s a fascinating link from the Assemblies of God with actual reports from 1918).

So I implore you, let’s get back to our first love. Not a protectionist love of self (will a one-world government take away my freedom, my home, or – God-forbid – my Facebook profile?) but a love of Christ that is willing to give up everything (freedom included – just ask the apostle Paul) to be a witness to Jesus, his death and resurrection!

And if in some future generation a government again takes away the freedom of Christians, we’ll join our hearts with faithful saints throughout history – those that went through the Gulag, the Maoist persecutions, the Boxer rebellion, the North Korean prison system – and the list could go on and on – and looking to Jesus we’ll still sing, “He is worthy of it all!”

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