A Wake Up Call To Millenials

"A Virginia pastor who defied warnings about the danger of religious gatherings during the pandemic and vowed to keep preaching “unless I’m in jail or the hospital” died over the weekend after contracting Covid-19, his church said."

-- New York Times, 14 April 2020, https://nyti.ms/3b6TDED

It is sad that we often feel we disobeying God's word by not gathering together in this COVID-19 pandemic. It seems like we are that person that Paul describe as that other person in this passage:

not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrew 10:25, NIV)

Are we really afraid to die? Are we really disobeying God's word by not making physical communion?

I remember that Jesus once said,

"If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?" (Matthew12:11, NIV)

In the same event, he told a crippled man to take his hand and be healed.

I also remember that Jesus' disciples once took some food from the fields on Sabbath day on Matthew 12.

God's sovereign rule supreme. It has a bottom yet flexible. Jesus demonstrated the flexibility.

It doesn't mean we are going to bend the Law. Instead, what Jesus demonstrated was to serve how strong is the Law. In Christianity, Jesus put emphasis of the foundation of the Law:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40, NIV)

All the Law and the Prophets based on these two commandments. God need no rest, He works all the time. When God creates the Sabbath it was all for the men. As Jesus pointed out that, "Sabbath is for man, and not man for Sabbath"

What is the purpose of Sabbath?

In the Leviticus 25, God commanded Moses to let the Israelites rest their land on the 7th year. As stated, that one year is the year where the land can rest and rejuvenate. At that year, it was the year where the Israelites can take whatever produced on that land for themselves.

Once again, the two principle commandments is being practised. The modern perspective for that command is true science. Modern farms also practise this with crop rotation and so on. However, let's take the Biblical perspective:

First, it is the commandment of the Lord. It brings the glory to the Lord when the Israelites obey. There would be a gratefulness towards God whom nurtured them on 7th year. Gratefulness is what God loves the most. Thus, this is why the command of Sabbath for land according to the first supreme commandment.

The second. The act of allowing people to take whatever from the land also an act of love thy neighbor. It is written that the land output not just for the owner, but also for others to enjoy. Letting the land to rest made sustainability for the owner also.

By this point, we all now can safely to assume that Humanity is the point of doing things. As our practise is Love as Law, we regards human lives above all else. As long as it is not being a hurdle of worshipping God.

God knows the best. God knows that an empty stomach can hindering a worship. A fear of disease placed a distrust against God's way. That's why, the rest day is there for the humanity to take a break and enjoy themselves while in doing so glorifying God.

Online Communion

We are not leaving communion. We still have our ways in interacting. In this COVID-19 age, as physical distancing becomes common, we need also to evolve our ways of making Sunday service.

We are on the age where we can still meet although not physically there. There are Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Zoom conference, Jitsi Meet and other technology. We can still gather in the same time and worship God from our homes.

For Live technology, such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, etc, we can see how this media reach out  more people. However, the interaction may only comes from the worship team. We can only see them and can only comment on text. Only them at the church or any place of worship.

We, as ordinary people can only in our houses. However, we start our Sunday service in the same time. This is described as meet in spirit with other people.

Meet in spirit is a culture from evangelical Prayers who love to pray on the same time even when they are apart. In this meet in spirit, the prayers would agreed on a date and time. In that time, where ever they are, they would take shelter and pray. Pray together but in different place.

Other approach can be taken with any conference technology as Zoom, Jitsy Meet, etc. On this kind of technology, we can take a massive online conference. In one Sunday Service, we create a session on a room. In that room, everyone with password can join. 

A conference call is convenience. We can see and talk each other. However, the conference room usually have maximum people to attend.

My Church take this approach. We get into Zoom. This is because our Church don't have more than 100 families (the maximum people who can join a room in Zoom). We also know each other so the conference would not be awkward.

Here's usually what my Church do:

1. On WhatsApp group, the church secretary would gives the booklet containing all of the songs and sermon. This is a few days before.
2. On a given time, the our Church room in Zoom is open. 
3. First control will be given to the worship team may served from his/her house. 
4. After that, when the time for sermon, the Pastor take over from his/her house.
5. After the Sunday Service ends, we usually greet each others.

I think I need to give kudos to all of my Pastors who accepting this technology and go with it. 

At first, I disagree with using Zoom. I think the Facebook Live is better because we can outreach other people. Zoom is with password making it not really good for outreach.

But then again, hey, this is 21st century! Nothing is safe online. The Zoom password is being handed to our WhatsApp group and tossed around. There it goes privacy. 

That's a good thing, though.

If we take this into the perspective, our member of congregation now can have their part on the spreading of Gospel by sharing the room link and password. With new people joining, we are bringing more people to God.

Millenials can take a part in spreading God's Gospel! Participation and meaning in doing so are what move the Millenials.

This is Blessing In Disguise




Many felt that COVID-19 is a misfortune that God let send for us to suffer. Some may drive people to say that we are so evil that God have punish us. Some people would make this as a cause to do crazy bad thing.

But, as Joseph said:

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesys 50:20, NIV)

There is a great plan also by God in this misfortune.

I remember Jesus before part ways with His disciples told them to go all over the world and spread the Gospels to all nations. As written in Acts 1:8:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, NIV)

Lo and behold, seven chapters into the Acts and they were all still in Jerusalem!

In the eight chapter, however, God gave the first congregation a "push". God allowed His people being hunted. This "push" made them spread all around.

How many times we see that Pastors, especially the old, anti-technology. They even believe that the technology was created with 666 in the chip. I know some Pastor would take their account to Twitter, but the general consensus is that many felt the negative drive to use technology.

Heck, if you see the church in general, they would see investment in technology as cost center. Some church even abandon their technology department. The most effort went for only making Church's website.

Millenials are now gathering not in places. They gather in social media like Internet forums, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok! Unfortunately, the church alienate the technology. This is saddening to me because in the void of church present, the Internet becomes overwhelmed with mythologies and atheism.

This COVID-19 forces us to go out once again like in the 8th chapter of Acts. Pastors old and young that usually uncomfortable using technology are being thrown away from their comfort zone. They are forced to accept technology as a part of their service.

The church are being pushed by God to learn technology. Many churches now started to empower their technological section. I believe, it is a wake up call for servants of God to learn the way of Millenials.

I believe now they can go to the uncharted territory of Millenials. Do the Tiktok dance! Spread the word of God with it. As the saying of Paul:

When in Rome, do as Romans do! When in 21st century, do as Millenials do! :)