Nowadays, due to the travel restrictions caused by the normalized virus control, "cloud gatherings" have quickly emerged on the Internet in China. This kind of online meeting is very popular among believers for its convenience and availability. For a time, all kinds of lectures and sermons have sprung up one after another, and famous pastors from all over the world have appeared virtually, even conducting face-to-face communications.
To a certain extent, this makes up for the temporary absence of onsite gatherings, but we have to be alert to a phenomenon that some members are keen to pursue famous pastors, rather than be loyal to their mother churches’ ministries. The most serious thing is that some even leave their previous churches.
Recently, a female believer living in a rural area said she didn't like listening to the sermons of her church which were not deep and couldn’t touch her heart as much as those given by famous pastors online. Plus she resented another female Christian in her group who was saying so endlessly during prayers that other people couldn't get a word in edgeways. She declared, "As I’ve had enough of it, I’ve always wanted to leave this church to find a better one."
Believers are not encouraged to switch churches frequently, unless due to moving houses or jobs. As it is beneficial to their spiritual growth if the believer is committed to a church, especially their mother church. Familiar with the believer, pastors and church staff can pray for them in a more targeted way, giving them timely help that pastors scattered all over the world can’t supply.
As for the problem that the pastor’s sermons can’t go deeply into the heart of believers, I think besides strengthening the study and equipment of the pastors themselves, believers should also love and pray earnestly for pastors, leaders of churches who are always the target of Satan. Without prayers, even if the believer transfers to another church, there’s a chance that pastors there can’t meet their wishes either, as all believers are blessed sinners. Changing churches often causes one to lose more than they gain, as more time should be spent getting familiar with the new church.
(The article is originally published by the Gospel Times and the author is a Theological student in Yunnan.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
