Short Take #3: Loving Thy Neighbor

Here is another short take from The Christian Worldview with David Wheaton. Eric Davis with us today on The Christian Worldview, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Jackson, Wyoming. This is asking the same question sort of a different way, or asking it the way you might hear someone say currently in society in the midst of COVID, well, why isn't online church good enough? Or you hear this, isn't it loving thy neighbor to stay home? You're endangering people if you go to church and gather as a group, and you don't keep physically distanced and don't wear multiple masks and so forth. How do you answer those kinds of questions?

There's that perspective out there as well, too. Well, church online is church after all, isn't it? You're just looking over a screen at the pastor and some other people who are maybe on that screen as well. That's a really good question.

It's a common question. First of all, let me say that with people who in the flock and dear saints who do want to stay home and maybe are struggling a little bit, or they're caring for maybe an elderly loved one who is considered in this high risk category, and they're not sure about coming back in person, we want to be really gracious and take each person situationally, be patient, be loving, be compassionate. But as to this idea of, well, why can't we do church online?

There's a lot of ways to address that. First of all, just generally speaking, I mean, would you approach your family like that? Would you approach your family gatherings?

My kids are in town, my grandkids are in town, and well, we're going to do our Thanksgiving dinner or our Christmas dinner online. You know, there's something missing there, you know, that personal touch, that intimate feel of fellowship, and that's heightened in the body of Christ with the commands that I've mentioned already from Hebrews 10, 25, also with the one anothers, and then descriptively practiced in Scripture together. Look, God has made human beings to 3D connect in person, and there is simply no substitute for that, and just evidentially based, we could interview a slew of church members over this past year who did the online thing, and many, if not most, would say, you know, it just is no substitute. You wouldn't get married to your wife online.

You know, you want to be there, you want to lift the veil, you want to kiss your bride, you want people there to greet you and to congratulate you, so that's sort of, genuinely speaking. More particularly, we frankly, David, have the command, do not forsake gathering with one another, and we ought not say, well, God didn't know that there was going to be internet back then and have these wonderful Skype and Zoom and FaceTime abilities. No, our God is sovereign. Our God is omniscient. He knew what was going to happen in the 21st century. In fact, he ordained it. Ecclesiastes 7 talks about Lamentations 3 as well, and so the Scriptures, therefore, when it commands us to meet together in person, those commands are transcendent.

They apply to all time, all places, and all situations, and so this online thing, it simply is no substitute. Okay, when, you know, back in March and April of last year, we were sort of unsure. I think a lot of churches, not all, but a lot of churches said, okay, at the request of our local health authorities, we have no idea what this virus is going to do. The models were saying millions upon millions, we're going to die within the first few months to serve as a way to serve our local hospitals, to lighten the load on ICUs. Okay, we're going to push pause for a little bit, and I think, correct me if I'm wrong, David, but I think the quote was something like, you know, 15 days to flatten the curve, 25 days to flatten the curve.

I don't remember exactly what it was. That's very much an exception to the command to gather in person. Now, as far as, isn't it loving to stay home?

Again, we want to be real gracious with people, be very, very patient. But no, that isn't more loving to stay home. And in fact, I think in our time, we have taken and we've sort of twisted this idea of love and forced it myopically to take the definition of stay home, wear a mask, don't be around people, and it's become a symbol of righteousness. Well, the Bible doesn't say that.

We have to be much more broad in our perspective. It's actually loving. It can be very loving to gather for in-person worship.

Well, why is that? That seems kind of counterintuitive to some people. Because you are getting poured into, you're worshiping God, you're meeting other people who are fearful, who are terrified, who are scared, who might be suffering. You're meeting with them, connecting with them, hearing about needs. You yourself, as you attend corporate worship, are just getting refreshed with the Word of God and refreshed with the gifts of the saints as you see each other. And therefore, you go out the other six days, as we scattered the other six days throughout the week, more equipped, more loving, more transformed into the image of Christ to be light and salt. And frankly, in a world that is backwards and darkened, it's terrified right now. So I think we have to be careful about being so narrow with our definition of love in this time. This has been a short take from The Christian Worldview with David Wheaton. To find out more about The Christian Worldview, order resources, make a donation, become a monthly partner, or contact us, visit thechristianworldview.org. You can also call us at toll-free 1-888-646-2233 or write to us at Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota, 55331. That's Box 401, Excelsior, Minnesota, 55331.