There are so many voices out there at the moment giving all kinds of ‘insights and advice’. There’s plenty of fake news, bad advice and so-called prophetic voices. How do you know which to listen to? What is God actually saying to us? There seems to be as much questionable material coming from within the church as there is from everywhere else and knowing what’s right and what isn’t can be difficult to navigate. There are some key things to consider in all of this to help us find the right path through it all.
- Check the source. Just because someone you know has shared it doesn’t mean it is ‘good’ or accurate.
- Check the source’s bias. You often don’t get the full picture.
- Check your motives. Do not research or read anything out of fear*. This generally leads to either clinging onto anything that says what you want to hear, or compounding the fear you already have. If it creates fear in you then try to understand why so that you can be more objective.
- Check with the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures tell us to test everything. In other words, don’t take everything at face value and hold everything in an open hand. The source might be good, your motive might be good, but the content still might not be correct or edifying.
- Check with the Scriptures. Does the Word support or contradict?
- This is not exhaustive and I’m sure you have your own ways of testing too.
There’s quite a lot being spoken within the church which even though maybe be true, if not understood it can be unhelpful. For example, there are some in the church saying that the virus cannot harm believers. If you don’t understand the backdrop of theology, purpose and motivation then this can actually be a damaging statement…even though there is truth to it. It’s important not to be flippant about the way we say things, especially on social media, but it’s also important not to dismiss something just because we don’t understand it or agree with it. We have to weigh things up, as the Scriptures say we should.
Paul said; “to live is Christ and to die is gain”. I have said about this virus; “God is able to protect me from it. If it gets me God is able to heal me. If it takes me I will be with God.” From a spiritual perspective we cannot lose, as long we understand from a spiritual perspective what winning really means.
*How do I overcome fear?
I will be producing something on this fairly soon (I hope) but for now the important thing is that when you sense the presence of fear do not act out of it. Instead take a bit of time to set your focus heavenward, think upon your Father in heaven, upon what Jesus has accomplished for us, and upon what the Spirit empowers us to be. Once the fear has subsided and faith has begun to rise up, then you can move forward. There is a correlation between faith and fear but note that it is love that casts out fear, not faith. More on that when I get the chance!
A new normal?
This is very much the in-phrase at the moment – in and out of the church. However, I believe it is being used very poorly, especially by the church. Here’s why:
1. Firstly, outside the church one way it is being banded around is to describe our current circumstances. This is clearly not right as the circumstances are temporary – ‘normal’ is not used to describe temporary situations.
2. Secondly, it is used to describe what will be post the virus. People are saying that life will not return to how things were beforehand – a ‘new normal’ will take over. There’s an element of truth in this – it has happened and it can never ‘un-happen’ – but history shows how times get forgotten and how easily people slip back into old ways. Right now we don’t know what ‘normal’ will be in the future; that will mainly depend on decisions made in governments, new laws implemented and how nations recover economically.
3. Thirdly, the church has been using it to describe ‘a new way of living as Christians’. While there is some truth in this – how we connect with each other has changed (temporarily) – I think it is misguiding and ultimately not even Scriptural to take this viewpoint.
a) I think many Christians will be looking forward to things ‘returning to normal’ and carry on as they did before. This might be with some new insight into how technology can help them be connected, but ultimately they want to return to the way things were.
b) We have not had a culture shift! This is very important to note: we have had a situation forced upon us that has meant we have had to do things differently. It has only been ‘tolerated’ as a temporary measure – a disruption that will be lifted. Culture shift only happens by embracing a permanent change from the current way of doing things. In other words, a ‘new normal’ can only arise when the ‘old normal’ has been purposefully left behind. The new normal is a cultural shift to something different, and it only becomes normal when the majority have fully embraced it.
c) Biblical history demonstrates what I highlighted in point 2. above. The Old Testament is full of stories of the Israelites forced into a change of circumstance, but once that has passed (whether by time or by God’s intervention) they very soon fall back into their old ways. Church history is the same; circumstances have arisen that have brought change (whether in society or revival) but the church has quickly gone back to how it was, as though they never even happened.
d) And finally… Has God changed? Has the Word changed? Has His call upon our lives changed? Has the requirements of discipleship changed? No. Our ‘new normal’ began when we became believers and followers of Jesus Christ! Indeed, we should adapt to our circumstances so that we always bear the good news in a way that is accessible, but our normal hasn’t changed. This is probably the only time ‘business as usual’ is rightly used in the faith context. The world around us shifts and quakes but we are standing on the unshakeable Rock and the eternal immutable Word.
I’ll stop preaching! But hopefully you get what I am saying. Words get banded around and we quickly jump on them without really thinking through what it really means. That’s dangerous ground. Remember that what we speak can be very powerful and call things into being that were never meant to be.
So what is God saying?
There will no doubt be things God is speaking to us regarding our current circumstances – individually and corporately – but we mustn’t lose focus on what He has already said, and continues to say, through the Word and the Spirit; we continue to live for Him and follow the Way of Jesus through whatever storms rage around us, knowing that He is our strength and our salvation, our peace and our joy, our ever present help in times of trouble.
The most important question for us is; are we fully living out our ‘new normal’ that Christ called us to when we first believed in Him? This is our test and standard for our faith, and how we should live our lives in these ever-changing days.
I hope these words have been useful to you as you think these things through for yourself.