Hello there!!!!!
RESPONSE TO THE EFFECTS OF COVID 19 OR THE CORONA VIRUS.
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. How are you? It's been a month OR OVER 2 MONTHS NOW SINCE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PRACTISING SELF-iSOLATION. How have you been finding it? Communicating with a number of people from different backgrounds I've come to realize this time has been hard on other people, yet a blessing on others. We shall examine different responses to social distancing from different perspectives.
First, we have to realise THAT THERE ARE SO MANY CLASSES OF PEOPLE IN ANY SOCIETY. Those classes are further divided into many subsections. It would be very difficult to represent the views of everyone in such a short presentation. We will, therefore, carter for those that are close to us whose views we understand and can, therefore, be discussed on this blog. Although a lot of groups come under the umbrella of Christianity, we need to appreciate that their practices are as varied as the groups they are in. For example, you might find a group that calls themselves Christians, yet they differ from others on issues like speaking in tongues, gifts of the Spirit, prophecy, the rapture, healing, and many other topics like infant baptism and many others. One interesting and fascinating one for me is the topic of Death, or what happens when a person dies. For example, some believe that the dead are asleep in their graves, yet some would argue that that view is not correct, dead people are in Heaven at a place called paradise. They would go as far as proving it through Scripture. Well everyone has to find their own answers from the Bible.
Discussing social isolation with different representations of Christians and being a Pastor, I found a few issues that l would love to discuss. As a Pastor, you find that people contact you through social media for a casual chart to serious counseling because of what they are going through. People want help with life's complexities and issues they found themselves in since a lot of them were taken by surprise by this disease and the way government and societies responded to the situation. I am going to discuss some Christian concerns or findings as they sought to make sense of their lives in the year 2020.
Its only fair to say only God has the answers. He alone knows the future. We are not alone in this world; we have been left with a responsible member of the God Head. Before Jesus left the World, in the book of ST John, Jesus said He is not leaving us alone in this world, He promised to send us THE HOLY SPIRIT. Jesus said
John 14:18
“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:16And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
John 14:17 “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
[John 14:16, 26 NKJV] 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- ... 26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
John 15:26 “But when The Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
Brethren we have not been left alone in this world. God knew that it would not be easy, so He sent us His Holy Spirit. Jesus also outlined His role in our lives. From the scriptures where Jesus introduced the Holy Ghost he also gave us directions on what to expect from Him.
The main reason for His coming is to HELP. He called the paracletos in Greek which means
Comforter, help.these are the biblical uses of the word parakletos…Outline of Biblical Usage [?]
I.summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid
A. one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defence, legal assistant, an advocate
B. one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor
i.of Christ in his exaltation at God's right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins
C. in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant
.of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.
i.
If you read these 3 statements you get your answer as to why we were given the Holy Spirit. We need His help and guidance. Especially these days when there is so much fear and uncertainty, we need to be led and guided by Him. Listen to this….
Romans 8:14-17 New King James Version (NKJV)
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba,[a] Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Children of God do not fear! Trust the LORD and the Holy Spirit. He will lead us to safety at all times. One day l will write a book about the Holy spirit. COVID 19 IS NOTHING WHEN IT COMES TO THE PROTECTION AND LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
