The Last Handshake
By Mitiku Adisu
A host of questions demand our attention. How will the "six-foot rule" define seating arrangement, congregational singing, hospitality, and the administration of the sacraments? Will visitors be looked upon as hosts to some deadly virus? Will we see fewer visitors as a result? Will eleven o'clock on Sunday morning worsen the already greatly diminished diversity that is the hallmark of Jesus’ new community? (Acts 2:5-13; 13; Revelation 5:9; 7:9) Will we be seeing a thinning of congregations preferring to worship with friends and family from a safe distance? Will 'safety first’ lead to a shopping spree for "better" cyber-church services? Will that generate more competition and an unhealthy reliance on technology? Will our daily diet consist of more tech-packaged insights that may not necessarily grow us to maturity? Will churches transition to not needing pastoral staff as we know them? Will cyber-fellowship greatly becloud "walking in the light?" (1 John 1:1–7) What impact will the non-physical, cyber-church have on our understanding of the Body of Christ? Will "distance fellowships" mean less theology, more "fun," and less tithing, with some churches unable to compete eventually folding their tent? Will physical distance be the new normal for the church? We do recognize that the faith entrusted to us is physical, spiritual, and relational. So, what dangers may be lurking in the present crisis? Is the church of the "free world" being prepared for persecution?
The Lord permits various hardships in order to purify his church for his mission to the world. Ironically, persecution never succeeded in keeping the faithful apart or resulted in the death of the church. It is some sin, hidden or out in the open, some false teaching that ALWAYS ends up disrupting a fellowship!
Sure, the faithful were dispersed, hunted down, jailed, and even killed as a result of persecution, but not to the extent of abandoning physical meetings. (Acts 12:12; Hebrews 10:24–25; Revelation 4) For Jesus’ disciples (even during plagues), not meeting to pray and fellowship together was the equivalent of death by asphyxiation! [In light of current scientific knowledge, let us not assume that plagues in the past were somehow milder and easier to deal with than COVID-19!]
Despite presently remaining in the dark, we have these assurances: Jesus shows up when his followers come to him together or one by one. Every single time. Without fail. (Matthew 18:20; 2 Timothy 4:17; Revelation 1:9–20) He has his own gracious way of transcending barriers of time, space, and matter to minister to his flock. (John 20:19-29; 1 Corinthians 5:3; Acts 16:9-10; Colossians 2:5)
With the handshake out the door, the Good Shepherd may be leading his people into the valley—away from the sunshine up on the plateau, where the danger of wandering off the cliff or from the fold is more pronounced. For most of us, life is lived on the edges of little denials and compromises anyway! The valley is a place of secret prayer. (Matthew 6:6) Will the flock heed the Good Shepherd or the hired hand? (John 10:11-18) In the valley are, of course, narrow winding passages (verdant pastures too), and shadows requiring a closer walk to discern the Shepherd’s voice, to bunch up behind Him, to keep moving, to be moved by deep love and hope, to walk not by sight but by faith, to die daily to self, to fully surrender. The Lord may be pointing his people toward experiencing anew the leadership of the Holy Spirit. To follow him takes conviction, not convenience!
The road to persecution in the first century church was paved with the declaration that ‘Jesus is Lord!’ (Acts 2) Opposition from the Jerusalem establishment and the Roman Empire was swift. For the former to submit to the rule of King Jesus would have amounted to foregoing the means of their wealth and status. The Empire, on the other hand, had declared Caesar Augustus Lord. "Jesus is Lord" in effect, meant "Caesar is not Lord!" A tiny but fast-growing band of Jesus’ followers were subverting the Empire and became prime targets for the Roman treatment. The more the band was hunted down, however, the more it grew in numbers, in the geographic area it occupied, and in its effectiveness as a witness. The Holy Spirit was the source of their boldness and the granter of an articulation of wisdom that confounded the powers that be. "Therefore I tell you... no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3) In other words, the clarity of the witness testified to a godly life, which invariably led to persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)
Jesus’ followers remained on the margins and yet mightily disturbed the status quo. Once again, the satanic powers mobilized religious and political structures to repeat what was done to their leader. What the two entities could never figure out was that in his bodily resurrection, Jesus had irrevocably altered the way the game was played; "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Colossians 2:15) Having conquered death itself, he now has ALL authority in heaven and on earth! (Matthew 28:18) Jesus is both Lord and Christ, indeed!
As Dr. Fauci has said, "You don’t ever shake everybody’s hands ... ever again." Is that going to alter the way we relate to each other and to strangers? Probably. One thing we are assured of is this: the church will live on with or without a handshake. (Matthew 16:18) The Risen Lord, now seated at the right hand of the Majesty, interceding for his people, will find a way where there is no way. He is the Way. He will lead his people with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. (Psalm 136:12) "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. (Isaiah 59:1) Let us pray, lifting up holy hands!
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