STIMULATING THE LORD’S WORK

This morning I noticed that the stimulus checks had been deposited into our account. As I was setting aside my tithe before moving it to savings (yes, I know it’s to stimulate the economy but let’s be truthful, even if I could or needed to go shopping the only thing that I’d really want to buy other than regular food items would be toilet paper), I had the thought: “what if everyone tithes on their stimulus checks in the next couple weeks?” When I let my wife know that the money was in the account and that I’d made the transfer she made the same statement concerning tithing.

KEEP THE LORD’S WORK IN MIND

It’s true that ours is a small church, compared to others. It’s also true that because we’ve been doing everything online and people thought we’d be back “in church” before now that tithes and offerings have been slim. The treasurer has had to move some money around (thankfully we had some to move around) in order to pay things like quarterly insurance, electricity, and salaries.

This past week our church had a Sunrise Drive-In service and many gave the tithes they’d been accumulating while others mailed theirs in. But still, these are difficult times. During these times we need to remember to keep the Lord’s work in mind. Yes, even when that extra money comes in.

QUICK CALCULATION

I did a little quick calculating (not taking time to consider every member and child) but for our little church, there’d easily be well over $10,000 extra this month from the stimulus checks alone. Wow! What a stimulus that would be to the Lord’s work and our church. I realize most are going to consider this as “free” money, -- of course, nothing is free but that’s a discussion for another time -- otherwise, money that’s not really figured into anything. But I hope when you receive yours you’ll remember, as you do with your regular work checks, the church.

We Have The Cure

As I’m writing this, the world is in the midst of what many are labeling as an epidemic. The Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a new strain of Coronavirus that had not been previously identified. So, a new form of something that has been around for some time. It is an offshoot of the same coronavirus that we think of as the common cold. I’m finding it fascinating (amusing if it didn’t have the world in such a panic) how the media has thrown the world, and I do mean the world, into turmoil by pushing their latest brand of mayhem.

CORVID-19 Threatens the Jobs of 15 Million US Workers

The latest headline is that the COVID-19 is threatening the loss of 15 million American jobs. Several countries are much worse off than ours and Italy has closed its borders. I attended a meeting earlier this week hosted by the Health Department to inform Community leaders. I was amazed (maybe just amused) at the reaction of many in the room. Some I know were concerned. Some were reacting to the questions they were being asked and the decisions some were probably being pushed to make such as, do we keep our schools open? But that’s not really what I want to talk about in this blog. Actually, it probably is, but I’ll refrain from doing that and save my conspiracy theories for my daughter.

As I’ve watched the level of concern, whether real or imagined, concerning COVID-19 grow, I’ve seen people and institutions kick into action. Political rallies have been canceled or postponed. Universities have gone to exclusively on-line classes and some have postponed class for several weeks. Many people are concerned about spreading or acquiring this virus and that has prompted me to consider this level of concern.

The Fear We Face and How We React To It

You have those who are afraid of catching COVID-19. As I was visiting the hospital today on our local university campus I noticed many students wearing a mask. Why? I’m sure in their minds they’re doing it to give one level of protection from picking up the virus from someone (even though it has been widely publicized that a mask will not help and actually may make you more susceptible if you did come in contact with someone who had the virus. But people are afraid, so they’re doing whatever they can -- even if it’s useless -- to protect themselves.

Also, out there somewhere are probably those who have symptoms, high fever, coughing, etc. (probably just the flu since it is flu season after all) who are doing what they can to stay away from people so they don’t pass it on. A noble thing to do because I don’t want your coronavirus no matter which strain it is. But again, out of concern for others, we are doing what we can to limit infecting others.

So as I thought about the concerns people have for others I thought about the concern, or maybe lack of concern, that Christians have for others who are dying and going to hell. People all around us are infected with a virus that’s as old as man, the very virus that brought on death to the human race and continues to infect us, the virus SIN. The thing is, it’s not something that has to be passed on because the fact is every one of us is infected from birth. Every one of us is carriers of the SIN virus.

But as governments and scientists scramble for ways to cure or curb COVID-19 we know and have the cure for the SIN virus. We know people are infected. We know people are dying. We know people are going to spend an eternity in hell because of SIN but we also know there’s a cure. We know that the numbers are not in the hundreds as the virus has infected in America or even the thousands worldwide. We know that of the billions of people throughout the world, the billions before us and the billions that will come after us are infected with this death-causing virus called SIN. The problem? We keep it to ourselves. Imagine, we have the cure and yet we keep it to ourselves! Wouldn’t you be upset if a pill or a shot is found that will cure or prevent COVID-19 and no one shared it? Or cancer or heart disease or…?

Christian, would you share the remedy that you have found? The cure you have allowed to be applied to your life. Would you tell others about the good news of Jesus, the solution, the only solution to the SIN problem that all of us are infected with?