Editor's note: Below is a letter from a megachurch pastor in Guangzhou to his congregation since the Chinese church was closed in late January due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He reminds members to be alert and fight the good fight in front of difficulties at present and ahead.
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Peace be with you!
Today is the third month since the church cancelled all gatherings due to the coronavirus crisis. It has been 90 days since we have been in church. Are you okay?
The sudden and unusual epidemic has changed thefamiliar patterns of living of many people and affected the status of many Christians’ faith.
My third letter to you focuses on difficulties caused by the epidemic in the practice of our faith. For Christians, the epidemic is more than just a human battle, it is also a battle of faithfor Christians!
Our faith is being tested by hardships in our life and work.
Little by little the world has come to a standstill as a result of the epidemic. Many enterprises are having a difficult time, and many people have found themselves stuck in a dilemma. Christians are a part of society so they also have to face various kinds of problems in life and work. Nobody wants such hardship, but everyone has to deal with it. In the face of these difficulties, Christians need a greater perspective that comes from God—this is a battle that engages our Christian faith.
Form a Christian perspective, difficulties that are in front of us are an important reminder that so many things that we depend upon and reassure us, like other people and property, are actually unreliable!
If we only depend on worldly things, everything is like “chaff that the wind blows away”, leaving only worries, anxieties, and fear.
The world blinds us so that without seeing God we are only aware of difficulties and hardship. God tells us that by going through difficulties we learn not to depend on the world, but on God. The God whom we trust is always bigger than the problems we can see!
Through faith we meet God in our difficulties, receive blessings, and see the silver lining through the clouds. When we go through troubled times we can look back at how we have grown and be grateful that we can enter into “Canaan the good land”!
When it comes to the closure of on-site services, this is a major test of our faith!
The current challenge is that we cannot attend services or serve in the church like before. Although churches and pastoral workers wantyou to join them in Bible reading, prayer, and worship through “iCloud ministries”, the way of doing things has changed. The change demonstrates that Christians have to make a decision to become disciplined in their faith.
The challenge of living our Christian lives under the epidemic conditionsis testing our faith severely!
Do we still love God?
Will our love for God turn cold and be quenched when we have only ourselves and cannot gather with others and have mutual reminders of our faith?Will the suspension become a type of historical sieve that sifts out some Christians?
Maybe many old-generation Christians remember that when the Chinese church closed down during the decade of the Cultural Revolution, many brothers and sisters remained unshakable and loved the Lord more deeply after being tested by fire. But there were also many Christians who never appeared after the church again reopened.
Only three months have passed and some people have become weak in their faith.
When we see clearly that that our faith is being tested and challenged, we should be alert and ask the Lord to guard our hear of loving and to triumph in our battles, and not fail.
Do we still love the church?
To be honest, in my communication with pastors in different areas, besides talking about the current situation, one problem seems to be a hot topic - “Are the offerings enough to pay church staff?”
This rather “vulgar” problem is common in many churches. As far as I know, many churches are paying their pastors only half of their salaries or and some overseas pastors I know have begun to look for other ways to supplement their decreased incomes. This has become a common phenomena in the church.
Will the epidemic normalize this kind of life in which we don’t go home or miss home? Have we become accustomed to a life in which we don’t go to church or serve?
Some believers say, “It is pretty easy to lie on the bed while we listen to sermons and don’t need to go to church.” This attitude will soon lead to crises in the church.
Even some members wish to be “comfortable” believers, not committed disciples.
Doesn’t this begin to affect the church and its outreach, weakening the power of evangelism?
Do we still love God’s word?
I remember early during the coronavirus outbreak, brothers and sisters were afraid they would lose God's word without having pastors and church staff carrying out their normal work. Pastors did their best to provide different kinds of “iCloud” services. I could tell that everyone was desperately pursuing God’s word.
May we see that what we lack are not pastoral messages provided by churches, but the thirst of individual souls.
Some read the Bible and listen to sermons occasionally and switch from this “station” to that. There is no longer a thirst after God, but Christians are becoming picky and want perfection. If we are not careful, we are likely to be caught in a trap of “poverty in seeming richness” (Revelations 3:17-18).
The above things are causing a crisis in faith and are a struggle for churches and individuals!
We face an unclear future, but we understand that as believers we are in a battle for our faith!
When will the pandemic end and the difficulties pass? What will the world be like in the future?
It is difficult to speculate on the future, or see clearly where things are going. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring.
Then we need to depend on the Lord who is in charge of tomorrow rather than worry excessively about tomorrow.
We need to entrust ourselves into his hands, live moment by moment in faith, and take care of our work, families, and life. We should not give up on today just because we are anxious about tomorrow.
Satan wants to be anxious for tomorrow, but God wants us to be grateful for today. Those who put their trust in the Lord are confident and live their lives fully because they know who controls tomorrow.
This time is bringing special challenges to our faith!
Dear brothers and sisters, the more difficult the days are, the more we need to have faith in God. We need spiritual eyes to see clearly the challenges to our faith.
We believe that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.
My hope is that we pray and watch out for each other. Even though there are dark clouds, faith tells us that the sun above them is still there.
May our faith be there when we see each other after the storm!
May you have peace and joy and prosper!
Rev. Yang Yongchun
Guangzhou Zion Church
May 23, 2020
