From the Pastor’s Desk (256)
When I wanted to convey something urgent or important to you in the past, I used to do it through your shepherds. But now, thanks to the Church Planning Center, I have all your emails in one place and can do it directly.
The following content is very serious yet I felt the need to send it to you. So, please read it and listen to what the Holy Spirit will say to you through my email and obey Him accordingly.
Yesterday morning, I read 1 Chronicles 11-16. 1 Chronicles is not one of those books of the Bible that I look forward to reading, especially the beginning part where it lists the genealogy of people. However, I always get goose bumps all over my body and get extremely stirred and challenged when I read 1 Chronicles 12.
This chapter is about God gathering the people of Israel to David after Saul commits a suicide in a battle. It is filled with military motifs and I love it, not because I am a courageous man but because I want to be one in God’s army. I love the words like “warriors,” “battle,” “armed with bows,” “able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed,” “brave,” “faces of lions,” “swift as gazelles in the mountains,” “brave young warriors,” “experienced soldiers,” “undivided loyalty.”
Now, we have been going through the pandemic since last March, and it’s been more than 10 months. At first, no one knew how to respond to COVID-19. And with the information that was coming out that says that the virus can be detrimental to those who are immunocompromised, I took the stance of being mindful for that group of people. So, the words and principles that I have decided to operate by were love first, wisdom second and courage third.
As you all know, I, for the first time in New Life history, worshipped and preached via livestream last Sunday. And it was hard. It was hard to focus. It was hard to engage fully in worship. It was hard to preach with passion. It was just hard.
And this got me thinking about many of you who have not been coming out at all or very rarely to worship in-person the past ten months. Honestly, as your pastor, I worry about you. For some reason, if you are doing super well spiritually, then I have nothing to say to you other than just keep doing what you have been doing. But I am the senior pastor. And I am a pretty focused person. And if a person like me struggled to worship in spirit and truth via livestream, then chances are almost all of you don’t do well either worshipping online. I don’t need to be a prophet to sense and know this.
Therefore, I want to make a declaration to all the members of New Life to come out in person to worship as much as you can! Without you knowing, you have been slowly getting lazy and lackadaisical with your walk with Christ. Your spiritual life has been suffering subtly but surely. It’s time to wake up now. It’s time to get back up and do the things that will help us to become spiritually strong.
This doesn’t mean that we are opening up the church to 100% capacity. No, we will continue to remain at 120 people for each service until further notice. Sadly, we have been averaging about 40-80 people in each service. And this is not good. This is not like New Life. We have to do better than this. We are New Life!!!
The registration is first come, first serve basis. I asked Lang to open up the registration on our Church Planning Center app at 1PM on Sunday for the coming Sunday worship and close it at 12 noon on Saturday. I want you to sign up as soon as 1 PM rolls around so that by Sunday evening, all 120 slots will be filled up. Don’t have this mind set, “Well, if I continue to sign up early and come to worship in-person, then others will not get to sign up and come. So, I should wait and yield my spot to others.” You don’t worry about others. If something is so important, then people will find their ways to do it. It’s a matter of priority and importance. So, fight for your spot. Show up at church to worship in-person. We can and will accommodate 120 people in each worship. And let’s lift our voices loudly to God and praise Him who is our Ultimate Protector!
- If you have symptoms, then don’t show up.
- If you are living with immunocompromised people, then make your decision wisely.
- If you have been exposed to a person who gets tested positive, then get the test yourself and show up if your test result is negative.
- And don’t be lame coming up with excuses that you don’t want to come to church to worship because there are people in the sanctuary when you have no problem going out to eat in restaurants where there are people who will most likely be a lot less thoughtful than New Life members in regards to COVID-19.
- Church will do what we can to disinfect the place.
Remember what Jesus said:
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” (Matthew 11:12)
Let’s use our God-given wisdom to make a courageous decision to do the most loving thing. At the beginning of the pandemic, the lockdown may had been the most loving and courageous thing to do. But now, ten months after the pandemic began, coming out to church in-person and wisely gathering in-person for house church may be the most loving and courageous thing that we can do for ourselves and for one another.
I love you all!
Your pastor,
Eric
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