Living in a Pandemic

Leviticus 11–12; Psalms 13–14; Proverbs 26; 1 Thessalonians 5

How are Christians supposed to live in days like these? Some are supposing that this is just the beginning of what they call “the end times” without realizing that the Bible says since Christ ascended to heaven, we are already in the end times. This pandemic is raising many fears and many questions for everyone yet as God’s child, I am supposed to be aware of what will be going on when “the end” draws near. From these verses, I’m given clues and also instruction and comfort regarding my behavior and thoughts.

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:1–11)

According to this, Jesus will not show up when everyone is agitated and fearful but when they feel at peace and secure. That means this pandemic likely is not it. He is going to return, but His Word says it will be unexpected, not predictable. However, that gives me no excuse to not think about it or be oblivious to these words. He can show up anytime, and for that reason, I’m supposed to be always ready — as if today is the day.

Faith, hope and love are to be my garments, worn every day, virus threat or not. I’m to be deeply aware that my salvation is real and when I die, no matter what causes that death, I will live with Jesus forever. In the meantime, I’m to encourage others — not with platitudes or witty cartoons or anything else but the truth that one day, whether the virus gets us or something else, we who believe will spend eternity with Jesus Christ.

This passage says to build one another up. That refers to encouraging faith and hope. Here is the Bible’s instruction on how to do that:

And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15:1–2)

This is clear to me: God’s Word builds me up (brings me closer to completion) and I can build others up by using it, and by doing things that help others move closer to the maturity of any Christian — which is to be like Jesus. Do it this way:

. . . respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you . . . esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves . . . admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:12–24)

APPLY: I’m not sure how to react to those who think helping others means giving them some inane information other than hitting the delete button, but God makes it clear what I’m supposed to do. Maturity means being like Jesus, loving others and directing them to the promise of eternal life, the joy of walking in the Spirit and being fruitful in this life. It means caring about the heart and nourishing the soul with truth that is eternal. For this, I need the grace of God and the fullness of His Spirit.

Progress? Or Regression?

During this holiday, I’ve read a book and seen a movie with a similar theme. In both, the rich or elite exploit or ignore the poor to the point of extreme cruelty. They think they are stronger and better people, yet they have actually become far more weak and horrible than those they look down on.
 

An observer of human nature noted that “One strange result of scientific progress has been the reversion of monotheism to local idolatries.” He described those idolatries which are all expressions of “I and mine are more important than you and others.”

When self becomes the center of my life and the thing the most important to cultivate, I tend to suppose that I am growing, even “finding myself” but this is not true. The opposite is true. Every self-centered person is unhappy and unfulfilled. As my mother used to say, no one is happy unless they are doing things for others. Jesus put it this way . . . 

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:39) 

In Christ, the idol of self so easily usurps the place of God. I am prone to making decisions without consulting Him, and even telling Him how to answer my prayers. “God, do this for him and that for her” as if I know more than God knows about what is best.

There are many reasons God tells me to “flee from idolatry.” (1 Corinthians 10:14) The first is that the power of Satan is involved. Whenever I put anything, including me, on the throne of my life instead of Jesus Christ, then I am open to the lies of the enemy without realizing it. In a discussion about eating the food offered to idols, Paul writes that the food and the idols are nothing. The real danger is the power behind those idols . . .

What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. (1 Corinthians 10:19–20)

The second reason that I’m to flee from self-worship and self-rule is that it devotes time and energy that God intends I spend on others, to help build them up instead of me. 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

God does not ask that I ignore my own needs, but that my focus is not solely on me, but on others. That is what it means to be like Jesus and being like Jesus is my destiny. In Christ and because of the gospel, I am free to live as I choose, yet those choices are indicative of a changed life. Doing good is not for the purpose of earning God’s favor, but to demonstrate the life of Christ and the power of God.

 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. (1 Corinthians 10:23–24)

The Bible talks about strength and weakness in terms that are opposite those of today’s world. In our culture, the strong take care of Number One, and build up themselves. In the Bible, the strong serve and build up others, drawing their power to do this from Jesus Christ and not from their own resources and reserves. Paul said that God’s power is perfected in weakness. He also said . . . 

We who are strong (in Christ) have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15:1–2)

This is why finding myself is a futile endeavor. It is self-serving and creates an idol. Jesus said if that is my choice, then I will lose that life. But if I choose to lose my life for the sake of Jesus Christ and for the good of others, then I will find it.

To Live is Christ — considering the conscience of others

Our little granddaughter asked a visiting Christian friend to play with her while I was making supper. The friend agreed, but when the child pulled out a deck of cards to play “Fish” she asked if they could do something else.

Later she explained that her family had a history of gambling by playing poker. For her, a deck of cards represented a sinful lifestyle and in good conscience, she could not play cards. She was aware that this is not a problem for everyone, but it was for her.

I respected her for her attitude and remembered the words of Paul in Romans 14. He addressed the problem in those days of eating meat offered to idols. Some Christians thought that was okay. Others were convinced this was sinful. For Paul, the issue was not about eating, but about loving one another.

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:19–23)

For the Christian who likes rules (eat this, do not eat that), this passage poses problems. How can one activity be okay for one person and not for another?

For my friend, it was card playing. I also heard of a man who had been a baseball fan to the point of neglecting his family and spending all his spare time either at a game or pursuing related interests. When he became a Christian, he put all that behind him. Then two men in his church invited him to a baseball game. He was horrified that they should want to do something that he considered very sinful.

The point is easy to see. It wasn’t about baseball but about his attitude toward it. The other men, had they known this man’s past, would have respected his conscience. For them, baseball was just baseball, but this man could not go to a game without feeling guilt and shame. To help him, they would need to obey the next two verses in Romans:

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (Romans 15:1–2)

If I do not know the personal issues others have about things I feel free to do, what can I do to avoid putting them on the spot? Not everyone is as gracious as my friend was with the game of cards. She could have thought our home was terribly sinful because I allowed our granddaughter to play with cards.

Putting myself in the place of a “weaker” faith, how can I handle requests from others to do things my conscience will not allow? One author wrote of an unsaved woman she had befriended in her apartment complex. This new friend asked her over to smoke pot with her. The Christian woman said, “I’m not into pot, but I’d love to go for an ice cream with you.”

Offer alternatives. Realize that some requests, even sincere, might be stumbling blocks for others. Pay attention to people. Much is revealed in ordinary conversation. Be more concerned about the relationship and how I can build others up than I am about personal preferences. If someone thinks an activity is a sin because of their past, I need to care about their conscience. It isn’t about what they (or I) do or don’t do.

As Paul said, I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if my brother is grieved by what I eat, I am no longer walking in love. By what I eat, I must not destroy the one for whom Christ died. (Romans 14:14–15, personalized)