Faithful bound together through belief, even when separated
We don’t have to be in the same room to share in God’s love during the pandemic
What makes a country a country?
Is it the land the people reside upon that makes a country? Is it the government that governs people of a geographic region? Is it laws that rule over a people group that defines a nation? Or, is it a collaboration of people born in an area and those who take up residence there that makes a country?
A country is a mixture of all of these things together, wouldn’t you agree? But, isn’t it the people who make a country what it is? A land mass is nothing without the people who inhabit it.
Similarly, what makes a church? Is it the place where a group of people choose to hold religious functions that makes a church? Or, is it a group of people who gather under a particular denominational umbrella that makes them a church. Or, is it a group of people bound together by something much more profound than merely a set of practices, a governing body over them, and a place to meet?
The Bible often refers to “the church” as people who are connected to God wherever they are on the planet. They have a bonding agent that is more significant than a building or a set of rules.
If you read Ephesians 5:21-33, you will see that God compares a marital relationship to Christ’s relationship with his church. The church that is referenced is not any one church, but “the church” universal. The bonding agent that binds those who are a part of God’s church is Jesus. More than that, though, it is faith in Jesus that binds us together.
We have had the opportunity to experience that during this pandemic that has caused the church to be “displaced.”
I put the word displaced in quotations because we may not have been able to assemble in our regular places of worship, but we have been connected through the Holy Spirit with whom we are jointly connected.
Followers of Jesus do not have to meet in the same room to feel connected with other believers. When we become followers of Christ, and He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, we are united with each other globally.
Do we prefer to meet with each other in person? Of course, we do because we have an affinity for each other as we are united in our faith and belief in Jesus. However, we can function separately and still feel connected to each other in prayer and practice.
Does that mean that followers of Jesus should not congregate? Of course not! Hebrews 10:24-25 states, “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”
The meeting of believers is vital for mutual growth and edification. But, during this pandemic, when we are unable to meet in person, we are every bit the church as we worship in our individual homes and watch our weekly services online. As we sing, study and listen to God, apart, and yet together, we are “the church.” When you leave Canada and go to another country, you are still Canadian, even when you are away from your fellow countrymen. So it is with the church.
You don’t have to sit in the same room to be a part of the church. We who follow Christ are, no matter where we are. Enjoy being the church!