The Pastor’s Piece – August 16, 2020
Fellowship of Christian Farmers
By Kevin Cernek
August 16, 2020
“The Church Is Essential”
A satire website, (thebabylonbee.com) had this headline: “Millions Of Women Outraged As Essential Oils Businesses Deemed Non-Essential.“
The article went on to say: “Women everywhere say they’re very angry as their oil businesses, which are clearly labeled essential, are nonetheless being called non-essential.
The women say they are organizing protests — where they will stand six feet apart, of course — and letter-writing campaigns. Some violent women are even creating essential oil Molotov cocktails to throw at government buildings. They don’t do any damage but do make the place smell nice…
“Excuse me, I’d like to speak to a manager,” one indignant woman said as a county official told her that selling essential oils is not essential. “What could be more essential than essential oils? It says they’re essential right in the name.”
On a more serious note, I find it rather condescending that people in our government have taken it upon themselves to label certain jobs as “essential” and others as “non-essential.” The way I see it, if it’s my job – it’s essential to me and my family. And who decides if the church is essential or non-essential? The government allows casinos to open, but not churches. Clearly something is askew.
David Fiorazo in his August 6, 2020 Biblical Worldview blog had this to say about this topic: “Christian Pastors are threatened for holding church services while Bibles and American flags are burned in our streets; athletes who stand for the National Anthem at sporting events are now considered courageous while kneeling in protest is practically expected. Pro-life protesters are arrested outside an abortion clinic for writing “Black Pre-born Lives Matter” in chalk on a public sidewalk, but vandals and rioters are free to spray-paint buildings and public property in cities across the country.
Double standards abound and our religious freedoms are in jeopardy. America is at a tipping point. Moral decay, cultural decline, political division and protests, the media is using the Coronavirus to stoke fear and panic, and threats to our very way of life.
There’s never been a time that we’ve needed God more – and many churches are still closed; others not operating at full capacity. Why? Because according to the government and the secular culture, church is not essential nor a priority. But is that true?
If the church is not essential, what hope is there for people struggling with depression and anxiety or suffering as suicide rates skyrocket and call-ins to help lines are up 600 percent?
If the church is not essential, why do drugs and alcohol prove to be such horrible comforts? In the last several months, at a time more people have been faced with major life changes and their own mortality, many have been feeling hopeless, looking for answers, and even open to prayer or spiritual things.
We need church leaders to contend for the faith, equip the saints, and preach the truth without wavering.
The real danger isn’t a virus or a physical health issue; the danger is spiritual, and America is on life support!
Even before the chaos and mayhem of this year, in the decades leading up to 2020 our culture had been declining spiritually, morally, and politically.
America has well over 300,000 churches, but few would deny the fact our Christian influence has decreased dramatically as the nation has become secularized. Biblical values are no longer being demonstrated and promoted and therefore, do not impact culture like they used to.
What has happened to the salt and light that we are supposed to be in a bland and dark world? (Matthew 5:13-26). Too many Christians have conformed to this world and an entertaining, seductive culture.
The world is imploding, time is running out, and the door through which people can be saved is closing. 2 Cor. 6:2: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
We know Jesus is returning but we don’t know when. That should sober up every one of us and repentance should be a priority. This is such a pivotal time in our history!
We have to do our part. Christians must know the Word of God, be led by the Holy Spirit, and speak some clarity into our chaotic culture. People are searching for something to help them make sense of this world, of the difficult circumstances in their lives. Many of the things people have been putting their hopes and dreams in are now falling apart, and they’re starting to see how temporal this life and its pursuits are.
Regardless of whether or not the world understands how essential the church is to the health of a society and the world, we know better! Christians still have the best message of hope for depressed, desperate people. Jesus is not only essential, He is the only hope for sinners to have eternal life.”
People need hope and places of refuge – especially now. People need the Lord.