COVID-19: God hath not given us the spirit of fear
Posted By Green Cochoa / 03/12/20 09:45 PM
The novel coronavirus fear pandemic is reaching epic proportions. The fear is permeating virtually everywhere, as is well-represented in current events. The General Conference has issued church guidelines, including recommendations that everyone get vaccinations. Steve Wohlberg sent out a newsletter containing the following paragraph:
Today (March 11), the Director-General of the World Health Organization went public with an official declaration that the coronavirus has reached a ?pandemic? stage. All of Italy is on lockdown. Countless planes are not flying. Public events are being cancelled. Schools are closing in droves (including Andrews University) and moving to online home classes. Others are being quarantined. Fear is rising.
The Upper Columbia Conference sent out a newsletter saying:
NPUC Pathfinder Bible Experience to be online - March 14 The event that would bring all clubs together to participate in the NPUC Pathfinder Bible Experience has been canceled. But the NPUC Pathfinder Bible Experience will continue as an online event. Read more here
https://sp.uccsda.org/News2020-03-06/ And where I am, the afternoon youth program has been canceled, the fellowship meal has been canceled, and people have their temperatures checked by an infra-red thermometer at the entrance to the sanctuary, with those experiencing flu-like symptoms being asked to return and stay at home; masks are recommended and hand-shaking is frowned upon--all this while not a single member here has been diagnosed with the virus.
So, unfortunately, Adventists are collateral victims in the fear campaign. But we should not be among those who succumb to fear, much less to disease!
It pains me deeply that we, as a church, should so willingly join the world in its fear, on account of which we give up the plain words of God and choose a course in contradiction to both the Bible and the writings of Ellen White. We have so many great and exceedingly precious promises to our side; why should we be afraid?
We are entering troublous times. They will become even more so. Those who are not grounded firmly in the truths of the Bible will not be able to stand in this last great conflict. Therefore, with the sincere hope of helping to ground God's people more firmly in these truths, I write now.
I've seen this kind of fear before. This is nothing new.
In 2003, SARS was the big scare. An Adventist organization whom I need not name had planned a series of evangelistic meetings in the Isaan region of Thailand, with separate teams being organized to hold meetings in at least nine or ten separate cities between Ubon-Ratchatanee and Udon Thani. I volunteered to help in one of those locations and purchased plane tickets. Then SARS caused two deaths in Udon Thani, and the organizer of these events deemed it best to cancel all of them.
I was shocked. Having tickets already, I went and visited the area anyway--though now as a tourist in place of an evangelist. I distinctly remember the bus ride that took me to Udon Thani--the place where two people had died of SARS. Folks, I'm here to tell the story! I didn't die! But many others, whom eternity alone will reveal, DID die without knowing God because of the fear that replaced faith in the leaders' hearts.
I wish I did not have that experience. And I wish I did not see it repeated now.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY
The Bible is clear:
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
"And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do." (Luke 12:4)
--Wait! We are not even supposed to be afraid of having our body killed? No. We should not be afraid.
"Let not your heart be troubled...." (John 14:1; John 14:27)
Twice in that same chapter, Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled, the second time adding "neither let it be afraid." This is not a recommendation, an idle suggestion: this, coming from our Lord and Master, is a command.
Whenever we disobey one of God's commandments, we put ourselves and others at risk. By far the greatest risks we face presently are spiritual, not physical. If we should be afraid of anything, it should be that we would dishonor God by not following Him as we should. We should be afraid to misrepresent Him or His character; afraid to trust our own judgment over His.
And what does the Bible say about our church meetings?
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)
...AND SO MUCH THE MORE AS YE SEE THE DAY APPROACHING!
That day is approaching. We should be the more zealous not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. This scripture is given for just such a time as this.
Does Ellen White say anything about this? Yes.
The Lord has shown me that great interest should be taken by Sabbathkeepers to keep up their meetings and make them interesting. There is great necessity of more interest and energy being manifested in this direction. All should have something to say for the Lord, for by so doing they will be blest. A book of remembrance is written of those who do not forsake the assembling of themselves together, but speak often one to another. The remnant are to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Some expect to overcome alone by the blood of the Lamb, without making any special effort of their own. I saw that God has been merciful in giving us the power of speech. He has given us a tongue, and we are accountable to Him for its use. We should glorify God with our mouth, speaking in honor of the truth and of His unbounded mercy, and overcome by the word of our testimony through the blood of the Lamb. {EW 114.2}
"A book of remembrance is written of those who do not forsake the assembling of themselves together...." I want to be in that book, how about you?
Some, fearing they will suffer loss of earthly treasure, neglect prayer and the assembling of themselves together for the worship of God, that they may have more time to devote to their farms or their business. They show by their works which world they place the highest estimate upon. They sacrifice religious privileges, which are essential to their spiritual advancement, for the things of this life and fail to obtain a knowledge of the divine will. They come short of perfecting Christian character and do not meet the measurement of God. They make their temporal, worldly interests first, and rob God of the time which they should devote to His service. Such persons God marks, and they will receive a curse rather than a blessing. . . . {2T 654.1}
According to this, if we forsake the assembling of ourselves together, we will receive a curse from God in place of a blessing. I don't want that curse, do you?
The example of Christ in linking Himself with the interests of humanity should be followed by all who preach His word, and by all who have received the gospel of His grace. We are not to renounce social communion. We should not seclude ourselves from others. In order to reach all classes, we must meet them where they are. They will seldom seek us of their own accord. Not alone from the pulpit are the hearts of men touched by divine truth. There is another field of labor, humbler, it may be, but fully as promising. It is found in the home of the lowly, and in the mansion of the great; at the hospitable board, and in gatherings for innocent social enjoyment. {DA 152.2}
Not only should we not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but also we should not forsake gatherings with other people--with the goal of touching their hearts with divine truth. We must not merely withdraw into ourselves, nor seclude ourselves from others.
Jesus has given us a Commission. We are to reach the masses of sin-damaged people who suffer for want of the very truths we have. Their eternal lives, not merely temporal, are at stake. Like the paramedics at the scene of an accident, our work is lifesaving, but on a much grander scale.
How can we continue to advance the work of God in the fulfillment of the Great Commission when we give place to fear and close our schools, meetings, and events?
The Need for Fellowship.--The deprivation felt when people absent themselves from the gatherings of the people of God is not small. As children of God we are to place ourselves in every gathering of God, where His people are commissioned to be present, and give the word of life. All need light and all the help that can be obtained in order that when they have heard and received the precious messages from heaven, through God's appointed agents, they may be prepared to bestow upon others the light given.--Lt 117, 1896. {2MCP 624.1}
Ellen White teaches us that "we are to place ourselves in every gathering of God, where His people are commissioned to be present." God's commission is His command. To go against Jesus' commission should not be taken lightly. It involves eternal risks--risks far, far more fearsome than any which might be seen in the physical pestilences we encounter in the world today.
It should be unnecessary to remind anyone of Psalm 91. We should have this entire chapter memorized. Then why are we afraid? And why should we be so afraid that we must close down the work of God?
Jesus' disciples were in a boat. Several of them were well-experienced, rugged sailors and fishermen who knew their way around the boat and the sea in which they were. "They were strong men and accustomed to the water" (EGW), but the storm that came up that day was no ordinary tempest. The waves swept over them in the boat. They were sinking, and they knew it. They knew they were doomed. Fear gripped their hearts. They had forgotten about Jesus being in the boat--and now they woke Him up with their piteous plea for help.
Never did a soul utter that cry unheeded. As the disciples grasp their oars to make a last effort, Jesus rises. He stands in the midst of His disciples, while the tempest rages, the waves break over them, and the lightning illuminates His countenance. He lifts His hand, so often employed in deeds of mercy, and says to the angry sea, "Peace, be still." {DA 335.2}
The storm ceases. The billows sink to rest. The clouds roll away, and the stars shine forth. The boat rests upon a quiet sea. Then turning to His disciples, Jesus asks sorrowfully, "Why are ye fearful? have ye not yet faith?" Mark 4:40, R.V. {DA 335.3}
A hush fell upon the disciples. Even Peter did not attempt to express the awe that filled his heart. The boats that had set out to accompany Jesus had been in the same peril with that of the disciples. Terror and despair had seized their occupants; but the command of Jesus brought quiet to the scene of tumult. The fury of the storm had driven the boats into close proximity, and all on board beheld the miracle. In the calm that followed, fear was forgotten. The people whispered among themselves, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" {DA 335.4}
When Jesus was awakened to meet the storm, He was in perfect peace. There was no trace of fear in word or look, for no fear was in His heart. But He rested not in the possession of almighty power. It was not as the "Master of earth and sea and sky" that He reposed in quiet. That power He had laid down, and He says, "I can of Mine own self do nothing." John 5:30. He trusted in the Father's might. It was in faith--faith in God's love and care--that Jesus rested, and the power of that word which stilled the storm was the power of God. {DA 336.1}
We should seek to emulate our Master. He was not fearful, even when the storm was so powerfully upon Him.
The disciples were rebuked for their lack of faith--and, for them, death had been imminent. What must God think of OUR lack of faith when we shut down our gatherings and curtain our opportunities for fellowship over the fear of something that we have not even yet experienced?
Faith. We must have it. We cannot afford to loosen our grip on Jesus.
Mrs. White tells us of an experience she had that is similar to that of the disciples in the boat. Very similar. I'll let you see this for yourself.
In 1846, while at Fairhaven, Mass., my sister, (who usually accompanied me at that time,) sister A. and brother G. and myself started in a sail-boat to visit a family on West's Island. It was almost night when we started. We had gone but a short distance when a sudden storm arose. It was so dark that we could see nothing around us. It thundered and lightened and the rain came in torrents upon us. Brother G. had more than he could well attend to, to manage the boat. He tried to anchor, but the anchor dragged. Our little boat was tossed upon the waves, and driven by the wind, while it was so dark that we could not see from one end of the boat to the other. It seemed plain that we must be lost, unless God should deliver. Soon the anchor held. ?{RH, July 21, 1851 par. 16} ?
I knelt down in the boat, and began to cry to God to deliver us. And there upon the tossing billows, while the water washed over the top of the boat upon us, the rain descended as I never saw it before, the lightnings flashed and the thunders rolled. I was taken off in vision, and saw that sooner would every drop of water in the ocean be dried up than we should perish, for I saw that my work had but just began. After I came out of the vision all my fears were gone, and we sung and praised God, and our little boat was to us a floating Bethel. The editor of the "Advent Herald" has said that my visions were known to be "the result of mesmeric operations." But I ask, what chance was there for mesmeric operations in such a time as that? ?{RH, July 21, 1851 par. 17} ?
Brother G. at last called for help. There were but two houses on the Island, and it proved that we were near one of them, but not the one where we wished to go. All the family had retired to rest except a little child, who providentially heard the call for help upon the water. Her father soon came to our relief, and in a small boat, took us to the shore. We spent the most of that night in thanksgiving and praise to God, for his wonderful goodness unto us. ?{RH, July 21, 1851 par. 18}??
We serve a powerful God. Let none lose faith.
The work is soon to close. The members of the church militant who have proved faithful will become the church triumphant. In reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, Praise God! As I see what God has wrought, I am filled with astonishment and with confidence in Christ as leader. We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and his teaching in our past history. {RH, October 12, 1905 par. 22}
According to Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Our fear only gives evidence that we have not been with Jesus?that we have not been hearing His words. In order to cultivate faith, we must hear God's words. Every day. We must spend more time reading what He says than reading the news and tidings of woe coming from the world around us. By beholding, we become changed. Let us behold Jesus?the one who had not a trace of fear in the storm. Let us behold Jesus?the one who touched lepers and dead people with no fear of getting sick. Let us behold Jesus?the one who gives us peace; who tells us not to be afraid, nor troubled at heart.
The three Hebrews who would not bow, not even to tie their shoes, beside the image show us the example we should follow. They faced imminent death for it. If they were afraid of this, they did not show it. They were willing to go to the flames?as is recorded in Scripture?even if God did not save them, rather than to dishonor their Master.
"We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history." -- Ellen White.
Blessings,
Green Cochoa.
