We Can Do This!
As I write these reflections, I am grateful to you my brothers and sisters in the Christian faith. A number of you are faced with hardships and yet you continue to serve and help other people. One of the attributes of Christianity is generosity. This is not surprising seeing that this was clearly part of Christ’s teaching to his followers. Christ was given to the world by the father. God is a giver of good gifts. The famous verse that speaks about this is John 3:16 which reads:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”1
Following Christ’s example, the church has shown generosity throughout the centuries since the church was founded. They have taken care of one another as well as taken care of those outside the church. The early church’s giving was sacrificial.
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 2
Currently, during COVID-19 pandemic, the church has been rising up to take care of one another and to take care of other people. Many Christians are in the medical field serving tirelessly. They are on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19. Christians are regularly praying for one another, for political leaders and for those directly affected with COVID -19. They pray for those who have been looking down on their faith and those who consider them their enemies. Love truly defines Christianity.
I would like to encourage those in the faith who are wondering how they may be of further help during this difficult time the world is going through. What if we stepped up to help one another? What if we stepped up to reach out to those in need? We are called to be salt and light in the world. Our light should continue shining during this dark period in human history. Light overcomes darkness. We should continue being salt in this generation. Christians add flavor to the troubled world. We put decay at bay so that the goodness of God may be displayed in this world.
There are many things you can and should be doing. Here are some of them:
- Be praying for your local church and the church leadership.
- Continue to donate money to your church so they can keep spreading the message of hope to the nations.
- Find out if there are people in need within your church. There may be people who have lost jobs or who are sick. Help them.
- Be kind and polite to people outside and to those who are carrying on with essential services. The mail carriers, transit workers, grocery store workers, drugstore workers, medical personnel and the list is endless.
- Respect and follow physical distancing guidelines to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
- Pray for the cure of this terrible virus and for the cure of other diseases.
- Pray that God will be honoured in our homes and in the nations.
If you would like to help beyond your church, you can contact us. B.C. Baptist Conference is involved in supporting pastors and churches who are serving people in need. Some of our pastors’ have began experiencing financial difficulties and we would like to help them as they continually give their lives to serving others. All your donations will be tax receipted. We are in constant contact with our pastors and churches as we keep supporting one another. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we shared our resources during this difficult time. I think there will be no one left hungry in our midst. We can do this with one act of kindness at a time.
Let’s pray together as we end this reflection:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’ ” 3
Amen.
Bernard Mukwavi
Bernard is the District Minister for the British Columbia Baptist Conference. He has a passion for church planting and church revitalization.