By Pastor Vincent Imwensi
Since the outbreak of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, most believers all over the world have been praying that the virus would go away and that life should return to normal. That is a right and proper thing to do and by God’s grace, I have been a part of that just like many of you that are reading this. It is also evident that God in His mercy is answering our prayers as attested to by the increasingly positive turnaround of the situation.
But I can see a worldwide persecution coming to the Body of Christ in the aftermath of this pandemic except believers pray fervently to avert it.
You don’t have to be a prophet to see that. In Luke 12:56, Jesus said “…..You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?”
Bear with me, let me break it down a little bit so you can see what I’m talking about.
Situation Update
Right now, the Coronavirus has caused a lot of grief, sorrow and destruction all over the world. As of date, the confirmed cases of Coronavirus infection worldwide is over 4.8 million people and more than 320,000 have lost their lives to this horrible disease.
The whole world is under a compulsory lockdown in an attempt to save lives and mitigate the impact of this virus – something that has not happened in living memory.
As things stand, many businesses are being forced to close down, large numbers of people are on the way to losing their jobs, hunger and starvation are creeping into many parts of the world, not to mention the fear factor and the sense of insecurity that is pervading everywhere. Consequently, the whole world is in desperate need of viable solution to the Coronavirus enigma.
A Coordinated Worldwide Response
You would have noticed that so far, the proffered response to this pandemic is the same everywhere across the globe. That includes personal hygiene, the use of PPE (personal protective equipment) and social distancing.
When eventually what is deemed a viable solution is found, it will also be embraced worldwide, even if such measures are to the disadvantage of the Church.
The Church And Social Distancing
Social distancing as we have it right now is said to be working very fine and it is being proposed in several quarters to keep it going for quite a long while to come. It is being credited with the declining death rate caused by Coronavirus around the world.
But even though it affects almost every part of society, there is no sector more in the firing line of this “solution” than the Church.
The Church thrives on and revolves around fellowship, which for the most part requires that people come together in a designated location. God’s word commands His people to meet together too (e.g. Psa.50:5; Heb.10:25; etc).
Thank God that social media can be used to communicate the gospel but that it can never replace the need for believers and seekers to come together in a place of worship, is beyond any reasonable debate.
As governments around the world begin to ease their lockdowns, it is almost likely that the Church will be the last sector to be considered for obvious reasons.
Suppose for a moment that social distancing is going to be continued for a long time to come, how do you think that will affect the Church?
How many people can you keep in an average-sized church auditorium if each person must stay two metres apart from others?
What will happen to the faith of many believers around the world who do not have the facilities to connect to a preacher online?
How effectively are we going to be able to reach and win lost souls to the Lord if we have to maintain the rule of social distancing?
With very few people in church, how will it get the financial resources to function and cover its overheads? With many church premises consequently forfeited due to their inability to pay the rent and other associated bills, what becomes of the Church?
The Vaccine Option
Many governments around the world are hard at work to find solution to the situation through a vaccine.
Ordinarily, many people are wary of taking vaccines, how much more when it is a new vaccine that is yet to be well proven?
In his recent exposé on this subject, a well informed friend of mine explained that the vaccine being contemplated is called the MRNA/DNA nucleic vaccine. It works by fusing with human genes (resulting in a type of genetic modification in humans). Now that is serious, to say the least and not many people (if they have a choice) will be willing to give in to that.
As usual, governments will be crafty in the way they introduce it. To be socially and politically correct, they will say it is not compulsory EXCEPT for those who want to be in close contact or proximity with other people (which again, puts the Church in the firing line).
They will say such a measure or exception is in order to protect and safeguard the interest of the general public: and who can blame a government that is out safeguard its citizens?
As it is right now, without any attendance prerequisites, getting people to attend a church service is a challenge in many places, which is why many churches (especially in the West) are scanty or few in membership. If then people must now take a vaccine (which they are unwilling to take) before they can attend a church service, how many people do you think will be going to church?
If the Church says “No” to such a vaccine, it will be considered an enemy and a risk to public safety.
All around the world, several churches (especially evangelical churches) have been burnt down over the years by the enemies of the Church for no just cause. What will happen in a situation where the Church takes a stance that causes it to be seen as a public enemy?
If on the other hand it says “Yes” and embraces it, many who do not want to be genetically modified will keep away. Can you see the point?
The Devil Is An Opportunist
If not stopped in his tracks, the devil knows how to seize and use opportunities like this to his greatest advantage and to the utmost detriment of his biggest enemy in the world – the Body of Christ.
Reaching out to the unsaved and turning them to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as establishing believers in the faith, are the devil’s greatest nightmares on earth today.
The situation created by this pandemic gives him a wide open door to manipulate governments around the world to come up with measures that will subdue, if not totally destroy the Church.
If that happens, serious-minded believers who love the Lord will refuse to comply and that is where persecution will come in.
If Persecution Breaks Out, How Many Will Stand?
With the condition of the Church as it is now, how many believers do you think will damn the consequences and go to church when they know they could be arrested and thrown into jail?
How many will dare go out to witness for Christ in violation of social distancing rules?
How many will be willing to be deprived of their jobs, their comforts, and their social status as a result of taking a stance for the Lord?
At a time when the Church has become so sensitized to the doctrine of social correctness, how many believers do you think will be ready to be branded and treated as “public enemies” on account of their faith and stance for the Lord?
Persecution will do one of two things: it will test to the limit, the faith of those who decide to go all the way with the Lord while at the same time forcing many who are not prepared to suffer for their faith to deny the Lord and go back into the world.
Can you imagine a situation where the dream of making it to heaven becomes a disappointment to many? If you say “God forbid” like I do, then we must pray.
We Must Pray And Do So Now
Fervent prayer is required to avert a situation that opens the Church up to devastating persecutions. Our prayers must go beyond asking that the lockdown be lifted. It must also be directed at what happens after this pandemic.
We need to pray against the introduction of satanic solutions whose hidden agenda will be to suffocate, subdue and destroy the Church.
If we would pray, God is able to grant to governments around the world a solution that will be effective against Coronavirus without disadvantaging the Body of Christ.
Let’s not make Peter’s mistake: when he was given the opportunity to pray, he slept off and when the enemies showed up, he resorted to fleshly weapon which did not accomplish anything and before he knew it, he had denied the Lord three times with an oath! (Mat.26:37-45; 51-52, 69-75).
If only he prayed when he had the time to, the story would have been different.
If you are a believer, please get on your knees and begin to pray. This should be taken seriously. We must not allow the adversary carry out his evil agenda against the Church.
By the way, if you would like to participate in our one month of fasting and prayers coming up in the month of June, click on the image below for more information:
Staying Safe In An Unsafe World
The uncertainties of the times we live in beckon to every soul to find a safe and reliable refuge. The events of the past few months caused by the Coronavirus pandemic have revealed to all of us the fallibility of man and the vanity of our worldly pursuits.
Who would have thought that the whole world (including the technologically advanced) could be brought to a standstill and locked down at the same time? But it happened and even right now, we are yet to recover from it.
I invite you to put your life in the hands of the One who can keep you safe, protected and preserved, irrespective of what happens. That person is none other than the Saviour of the world – the Lord Jesus Christ.
You need Him in your life and if you are not already saved or born again, waste no time any longer. Commit your life to Him today and let Him save your soul. Click here to find out how.
