Church Opening and Life After Aids

Scripture of interest

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19 – 22 NKJV).

My commentary

Church opening

As we begin to open up our churches and begin to assemble I, for one, would encourage everyone to take note of the precautions that the government has put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. However, while we follow the measures put in place there are some things that I struggle with.

First, maximum of 50 people allowed to gather at one time with social distancing in place. If we are asked to sit together as families from one household and six feet apart from other attendees we can easily accommodate more people per gathering and some churches have balconies that are totally empty which can easily accommodate a number of people as well. I am not talking about overcrowding but about sensibility. This definitely needs to be reconsidered by the government. Secondly, no singing while the service is going on. Gasp! I normally worship God while singing and not into someone’s face. Since we are practicing social distancing 6 feet apart, I have a very difficult time believing that my spit travels 6 feet unless it has wings, and thirdly, that being 65 and older is a stigma to church attendance during this virus crisis. Really! Have seniors been prevented from shopping? No, and they have equipped themselves with masks in order to do so? Can we as seniors not be deemed wise enough to know whether it is safe to attend church and take the necessary precautions? If you have the same concerns that I have about these restrictions please send an email or letter to your MLA.

The church has been looked at, by governments, provincially and federally as something that is not of great importance to the public. In some cases some have advocated not opening the churches at all. This perhaps is pursued by those whose interest in church is next to nil and who see church as an obstacle preventing progress. To them the church stands in the way of having freedom to do whatever they want without accountability. This really poses a far greater problem because it now opens the door to bondage to every evil practice which leads to destruction spiritually, emotionally and psychologically. We need direction in life and the church is there to help us find that direction and purpose in life.

During this pandemic the church really was considered as non-essential and therefore was shut down entirely accept for church on line which really changed the whole dynamic. It is looked upon as a religion to be practiced behind closed doors and never to be demonstrated in public. However, true Christianity is about heart change. This heart change takes place only upon receiving Jesus Christ into one’s life which affects the way we live. It is  a dynamic which impacts our lifestyle wherever we are. We need  a heart change in our nation from the Prime Minister of our country down to every member of Parliament and through every citizen of our country. That’s why we need the church open. President Trump last week stressed the importance of opening the churches in the United States by stating, “Some governors have deemed the liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It’s not right. So I’m correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential.” He further said, “In America we need more prayer, not less.”

The church is God’s idea, not men’s. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 3:14, 15 (NKJV) “These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of truth.’ It is not the government that is our pillar and ground of truth but rather the Church of Jesus Christ. That is why the church must be opened, even with restrictions. But boy, do we ever need it to open. The church is the people, which is true, and the building is a gathering place. But the building also is a symbol of what 1 Timothy 3:15 says. We are a body of believers that stand together.

The church is not an idea dreamed up by government, corporations or by some famous institution, rather it came through Jesus Christ. Matthew 16:18 says, “. . . and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades (Hell) shall not prevail against it.” The church is you and I assembling together in a building doing the work of bringing people to encounter this new life that is found only in Jesus. It is here that we also experience fellowship, encouragement, strength and hope. If you have been avoiding church for one reason or another it’s time for you to get back. If you have been wondering about church and what it is like find one and go. It’s time.

Q and A

Question: Do people need to “convert to Christianity” to be saved?

Answer: Interesting question. Have you ever thought “what do I have to do to convert to Christianity?” Let’s look at this a little closer. Christianity means a religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and practices. So, if it’s based on the person and teachings of Jesus then we need to look at what Scripture says concerning salvation and what needs to happen for us to become Christians.

Jesus said in John 14:6 (KJV) “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Let’s look at Acts 4:12 (KJV) which says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Salvation (conversion) comes through Jesus Christ as spelled out by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:16 (NKJV) “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not be the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

Testimony

Life After Aids – Part 1

This testimony is about a man who wants his story to go out to help others find freedom from shame. This story was originally posted  in the Charisma magazine many years ago and comes in three parts.

In 1999, I learned I was HIV – positive. The worlds of my public life and secret life collided, the neat package became a mess, and I was faced with the horrifying fact that I would pay the ultimate price for my secret. Up to that point, I had neatly packaged and compartmentalized everything in my life and had become  a master of secrecy. Although it had been a struggle to keep the two worlds separated, I felt I had no choice but to expend great physical and emotional energy to conceal my shame.

As long as I can remember, I admired and idolized older boys and men, desperately wanting to be like them. I always hated who I was, the way I looked and saw myself. I don’t remember a time when I liked who I was.

My parents raised me in a strict Christian environment. But though my dad became a Christian when I was 5 years old, he fought his own battle with anger and abuse until I was well into my junior high years. This did subside over the years, but our family learned to effectively maintain the secrecy surrounding his abuse. Publicly, we lived a perfect Christian life. Today I understand my father’s battle because I grew into an adult who would fight his own battle with sin.

I had become a Christian at the age of 4 and truly set out to follow Jesus Christ. Jesus offered me a love I desperately needed, and my decision to follow Him was genuine. Everyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I was, and still am, deeply sensitive to the things of God and to the Holy Spirit. The scars in my life, however, were so deep and painful that sooner or later they would erupt, and I would fall. Poisonous wounds infected my life and constantly festered.

My father was abusive to me, my mother and my three siblings. I never felt I was masculine enough for my dad, other boys or even myself. I was programmed by circumstances to believe that I was a “sissy.”

Consequently I rejected my dad, other boys and the masculinity they represented. Conversely, I felt strongly connected to my mother. The pain we shared made us one. I can still remember being in the third grade, sitting at my desk and hiding my tears because I longed to be home with my mother. We needed each other.

Although I admired other males, I never felt safe or comfortable with them. Besides not being athletic, I also was younger, smaller and less coordinated than my school-age peers. These factors, combined with what I perceived to be rejection of my father and my peers, led to a total withdrawal from other males and normal masculine activities.

I always was more comfortable with girls. I don’t believe I was born gay, but circumstances in my life and environment worked together to create a serious gender and sexual confusion.

As I reached adolescence, hormones took over. My admiration for older boys and men turned to fantasy, and eventually lust. The love I craved from them took on an entirely new meaning. On one hand, I craved intimacy with God. But on the other hand, I yearned to be loved, accepted and tenderly held and cared for by older males.

(Next week Part two).