What CAN We Do?
What CAN We Do?
“And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:8–10, ESV)
Changing Circumstances
Well, I don’t think I have to say it, but I will anyway. The times, they are a changing. With COVID-19 spreading across our country and attempts to “flatten the curve,” many communities are finding themselves in new situations. Many communities are banning gatherings of over 50 people. The federal government is recommending gatherings no larger than 10 people. With these increasing restrictions in place, many people are trying to figure out “the new normal,” at least for now.
What CAN We Do?
Yesterday I had a conversation with one of my daughters. As the conversation went on, I noticed that much of the conversation focused on what we cannot do. We cannot gather in schools anymore. We cannot gather for sports activities anymore. We cannot gather in groups of over 50 (or 10). And on and on it went.
Eventually, I realized something important. Although it’s important for us to understand necessary restrictions that will help “flatten the curve,” it’s just as important that we talk about what we CAN do during this pandemic. The reality is that we can still do MANY things.
Blog Themes
So, I want to change the theme of my blog posts for the indefinite future. I had been writing a series of blog posts about how to make Godly decisions (and I may continue these intermittently). However, I think it’s important for us to begin thinking of ways we can do ministry in the midst of the spreading COVID-19. I want to change the focus from, “We can’t gather for public worship…” “We can’t gather for…” to “We have an opportunity to do…” or “We can minister in this way…”
Paul Calls An Audible
If you don’t know what an audible is, it comes from the game of football. An audible is when the quarterback makes a last second change to the offensive play. He notices that something has changed and needs to make an adjustment at the last second.
The Apostle Paul had to do this in Ephesus. His strategy for ministry had been to enter the local synagogues and preach the gospel. Yet, in Ephesus, some people showed up in the synagogue and caused problems. So, Paul called an audible—he changed the way he was doing ministry. He moved from the synagogue to the hall of Tyrannus and began teaching there. He did this for two years. What resulted from this audible? “This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” (Acts 19:10, ESV). ALL the residents of Asia (what we would call Eurasia today) heard the word of the Lord. That was a powerful audible that God blessed to grow His kingdom for His glory.
What Audibles Do We Need To Call?
That’s the question of the day. In the midst of increasing quarantine restrictions, what types of audibles do we need to call in the way we do ministry? We should NOT be thinking only about shutting things down, but we should think about AUDIBLES—changing the way we are doing ministry for the time being. We need to respond to this difficult ministry situation in the same way Paul did. Find another way.
I’m trying to figure this out, just like everyone else. I don’t have all the answers. I’m hoping to come up with answers as I force myself to write these posts, and I’m hoping to learn a lot from other Christians throughout the world.
Mainly, I’m praying that God will continue to equip His people and use His people to do ministry and further his kingdom.