What are
essential services? That is the question! Essential services during a pandemic are
different than what is typical at any other time. Of course services like food, housing,
banking, water, heat and electricity, health care and hospitals, law
enforcement and firefighting are very essentials at all time. Essential service is anything that is vital
to our health and welfare. We also need
workers to maintain these essential services.
During a pandemic the same things are essential, because without these
services, sickness, poverty, violence and chaos will result. Failure to continue basic services during a
pandemic can result in many unnecessary deaths.
BUT when you
think about it, everything is essential to someone. Everyone’s job is essential to them. We need jobs to earn money so we can feed our
families. How will we survive if we
don’t eat?
Is church an
essential service? We need church. We need fellowship with others. We need encouragement from our Christian
friends. We need to be able to praise
and worship the Almighty God with other believers. Yes, we know God doesn’t live in a building
and we can worship Him anywhere, because He is everywhere. There is just something about being in a
place of worship with others Christians.
You get a feeling of awe to be in His presence. We need to be with other people. Being part of a church, together with people,
is an essential of spiritual health and maturity.
We can worship
anywhere. Prayer is an expression of
worship. Hearing and teaching the Bible
is worship. Singing is worship. The act of gathering together in a church
building is worship. We complete our
worship by encouraging and prodding each other to live out our purpose in
Christ. The Bible tells us we need to
worship God with other believers and be taught His Word for spiritual
growth. “They
devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer.” – Acts
2:42. “Let
us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
– Heb 10:25.
Rev. 5:9-12 tells us that the believers in heaven will
come together to praise God. We are to
praise Him in our homes, in His sanctuary and in His heaven. “Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.” –
Psalm 150:1-2. Corporate gathering provide supernatural
encouragement. Our faith is not private,
but it is personal. We need to share it
in the presence of other believers. God
values the gathering of His people.
There are many
advantages by going to church. There you
will likely have some of life’s big questions answered. The preaching of God’s Word will help set
direction for your life. It can help you
define what you believe by helping you understand the Bible. You will be able to pray for others and
others will pray for you. You will be
encouraged by hearing the answered prayers of others. It can help you take the focus off yourself
and put your focus on God. It can strengthen
your faith and promote stability in your life.
It can and will literally change your life for eternity! By going to church, it honors God. To sum it up, churches offer essential
services.
That said, we
still have a responsibility to those around us even at church. We still need to do social distancing and
wear masks to protect others and ourselves during this pandemic. During this pandemic, we may need to worship
online instead of in person for a while.
I’m sure God will understand. So
be patient. We all have a responsibility
to ourselves and to others.
Join me here
next time. -- I encourage you to
trust in and have faith in Jesus.
__________________________________________
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