Tag: #christian

Is the Church really closed?

As I walked through my neighborhood the other day trying to clear my mind of all the overwhelming thoughts and feelings about COVID-19, I was struck by the different signs on the doors of all the churches. The sign on one church said, “In an overabundance of caution, we are not having service until further notice.” Another church I walked past simply said, “CLOSED.” As I continued to walk further down the street, I noticed a blinking LED sign in front of a church flashing, “Church CLOSED.” I stopped and stared at the sign for a few moments. “How can you allow this to happen Lord? How can you let your church close?” I thought to myself. On my way home, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the CLOSED signs. All the churches that are not open. As I got to the steep hill at the bottom of my street, the Lord gently whispered to me, “The church is not closed. The church is open. You are the church.” 

The word church comes from the Greek word, ekklésia. According to the Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, the definition of ekklésia is a local assembly of believers as well as the redeemed of all ages who follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus commissioned the church (his followers) to go and make disciples of all nations. The commission wasn’t to a building, it was to a people.

Yes, the buildings we typically gather in are closed until further notice. However, the church is not closed and we (as Christians) are not absolved of our responsibility to “go and make disciples of all nations”. Although we can’t invite our neighbor to a physical building for a Sunday service, we can invite them to the Bible study that is being held via conference call or the service on Facebook Live. We can literally have a service in the house with our family. We can send a text to a friend with our favorite Bible verse or call our neighbor down the street to offer a pray. We don’t need the mass choir to worship God. We can still pray and read the Bible without the pastor. Although we are in unprecedented times, the Great Commission is still the charge. 

The church is not CLOSED.

The church is OPEN. 

I am the CHURCH. You are the CHURCH. We are the CHURCH. 

The Great Commission

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20 NIV)

CHANGE

My sister and I in front of the Chapel at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary 

A few months ago, my sister and her family moved from Cleveland to New Orleans. Prior to the move, we could visit them anytime. Weekends. Holidays. Summer Vacations. Day Trips. We’re in Pittsburgh, PA. – They’re in Cleveland, OH. It was awesome to have them so close by. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit them at their new home, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. My sister and brother-in-law were busy writing papers and studying for finals, so I took the opportunity to spend some quality time with my niece and nephews.

Their move was hard on our family. When they first made the announcement, we were all in disbelief. Everything was going to CHANGE. How would holidays work? What about New Year’s Eve? What about our annual Cousin’s Week? The one week in the summer when we all travel to Cleveland for Vacation Bible School at Liberty Hill Baptist Church where my brother-in-law was the Pastor. It’s been hard for me to come to terms with their move, so I could only imagine how difficult the move was on my niece and nephews.

During my visit, I decided to ask, “How has the move been for you?” Much to my surprise, they all said the same thing.

At first, they were in shock. “They must be joking. We aren’t really going to leave Cleveland and move that far away, are we?”

Then,they were nervous and scared. “How can we leave the only home we’ve known for the last 10-years? How can we leave all our friends?”

I thought they would stop there. I wasn’t totally prepared for what they said next…

“But mom and dad said we were going, so we went. And now that we’re here, we really like it. We like our new school. We like our new friends. We like the community center down the street. And we love getting snowballs and beignets!”

As I was traveling back home, I thought about how my niece and nephews have embraced the CHANGE God put in front of them. Even though they were shocked and scared, they trusted their parents and the result is a new home in a new city filled with excitement and new possibilities.

The truth is…we all should be like my niece and nephews. When God calls us to a new thing, a CHANGE, we should embrace it. Be shocked, be nervous and scared, but trust that God is faithful and will work everything out for our good and His Glory. God has a plan for our lives and it often requires a CHANGE. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Getting snowballs with my niece and newphews at one of their new favorite spots – #pontillysno 

One

#ONE

I slid the shirt off the hanger, crept to the corner of the store where nobody was, and shoved the shirt down my pants. As I walked out the store, I was grabbed by two men who led me through a door that was barely noticeable to the eye. “We saw you steal that shirt,” they said to me with disgust. “That mirror you were in front of. It is a two-way mirror. We have you on videotape”, they continued. Then they asked, “Why did you do that. Why did you steal this shirt?”

As a teenager, I did a lot of things. Some things I did to impress my friends. Some things I did so other people would like me. Some things I did to be cool. Some things I did because they felt good. And some things I did with no real rhyme or reason – just because.

If I could go back and have a conversation with my 13-year-old self, I would tell her to be purposeful in everything she does. I would encourage her to be intentional. To be thoughtful about the activities she engages in, the people she hangs out with, and the decisions she makes. I would tell her to filter her thoughts and actions through the Word of God. And I would tell her that whatever she does…do it ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

Truth #1

DO IT ALL FOR THE GLORTY OF GOD

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV)

Karris