As you know, everything is shutting down, including airlines, national sporting events, restaurants, grocery stores, and churches. I have not seen anything like this in my lifetime. Perhaps not since WWII has there been such restrictions mandated around the world.
The big question is, “How should the church respond to the policies and edicts associated with this pandemic?” The governments of the world are frightened, not because of what has happened but because of what is likely to happen if insufficient precautions are taken. This is not fake news like Y2K. This is real and the Bible warns of such calamity, and much worse will be coming in the future (See Mt. 24, Lk. 21, and the entire book of Revelation).
I encourage you to watch my Sunday morning message dated March 15, 2020. Also, please read my books Unexpected Fire, Understanding God’s Great Plan, and The Powerful Little No Rapture Book for a balanced understanding of what is happening and what is coming.
We had a leaders conference planned for this week and right up until a few days ago, I told everyone that we were not canceling the event. That very night, I asked the Lord to speak to me about the conference and He answered by giving me a powerful warning dream. Here is the short version of it.
In the dream, I was with my natural and spiritual family. I was leading them. As I was parking my car it suddenly sunk in sand past the wheels, past the fenders, and right down to the level of the hood. I got out of the car and called to the people nearby. “Why did you not warn me about the sinkhole?” Then I woke up and the Lord said, “I just warned you.” I listened, confirmed the message of my dream with other pastors, and canceled the conference. I did not do it out of fear but in response to the word that I received from the Lord. If I had received a dream where everyone was becoming sick, but I and my family were thriving and being victorious, then I would not have canceled the conference.
Our only place of safety is in hearing and obeying the Lord. That means reading our Bible and hearing God’s voice. What we hear should not contradict what we read in the Bible. If we do not hear clearly we are left to follow only man’s wisdom and that may not help.
God’s wisdom is connected to His plans and when we hear and obey Him we will see the demonstration of His glory. Testimonies come to those who hear the Lord, obey Him, and pass the tests.
There is nothing wrong with taking good precautions. Washing hands, guarding the elderly, and not exposing ourselves to unnecessary large gatherings are all wise steps. We should follow the directions of our government as long as they do not cause us to ignore God’s word.
Christians, however, should be different from the rest of the world. This is a trial run of something much worse that will be coming. Is the church rising to walk with God? Will we pass the test? We should not let fear rule our lives. We should listen to God, confirm what we hear, and be quick to obey Him.
The present position for our local church is as follows:
- We will not stop laying hands on the sick and praying for them so that they might be healed.
- We will not stop the assembling of ourselves together unless the Lord directs us to do so.
- We will call upon the Lord and praise and worship Him extravagantly.
- We will put our full trust in the Lord according to the receiving of His confirmed word.
- We will boldly prophesy, proclaim and preach the good news of God’s kingdom – His love and His mercy and His grace. We expect miracles, revival and the increased power of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the scriptures.
“My message and my preaching were… with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on man’s wisdom, but on God’s power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.” 1Cor. 2:4-8
Dr. Peter Wyns
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