Jesus said, “the gates of hell (literally, gates of death) shall not prevail” against His church (Matthew 16:18). Even death itself cannot prevent Christ’s church from carrying out its God-given calling to gather for worship and preach the gospel to all the world. There is no other purpose the church exists to serve. Without these two basic components, the church is simply not a church. But it has in fact survived the last two thousand years, despite unimaginable persecution, bloodshed, and affliction. If not for those who “loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:11), it would have been prevailed against, yet Scripture says that they conquered “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (ibid.)—those “of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38).
Church: the COVID-19 threat simply isn’t as it seems. Even if it were—even if it wiped out a third of the population—there is still no valid reason to ever stop gathering. Throughout history, in times of war, intense persecution and, yes, even in the midst of plague, the church faithfully found ways of gathering and worshiping—even when it meant their own risk of health or safety. There was nothing that could prevent them from obeying God and worshiping Him every Lord’s Day, somehow, some way. We in today’s church need a good dose of this mindset. Having courage in times like these, when the government has unilaterally and unlawfully determined what the church can and cannot do, whatever the reason (though COVID-19 quarantining is unjustifiable on its own), is imperative to fulfilling our calling as the people of God, yet we must be courageous together. We stand as one body, though we are individuals (1 Corinthians 12:27), so we will be stronger together, than on our own. Sadly, many church leaders—those who are charged with keeping watch over our souls (Hebrews 13:17)—have clearly lost sight of what is most important and have apparently preferred to not stand out in the crowd and then accept the media narrative, over ensuring their flocks are being sufficiently cared for spiritually. It’s no easy thing, risking one’s life for the gospel, and it doesn’t come with absolute fearlessness, but it is certainly a biblical attitude to which all Christians should aspire, one that we should be fostering rather than avoiding, and one that will unquestionably be put to the test in the days and years to come. This is the attitude of losing our lives for Christ. We must encourage one another to stand, or we never will. But, by the strength of the Lord God Almighty, we shall.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. – Luke 17:33
Life Not In Vain 