Dear Church Family,
Chew over these wise words from writer Jen Pollock Michel, “A solitary Christian who thinks he can live independently of the church functions about as well as a thumb severed from its hand”. Obviously a thumb has no value or use should it be severed permanently from its hand. The same could be said about a finger cut off from a hand or a toe cut off a foot.
Mrs. Michel shows the folly of any Christian thinking he can be an island unto himself. God designed His people to live in community. I wrote two weeks ago, “As a church family we must fight any urge we have to live in isolation from other Christians.” Life during this pandemic may lead us to think that we must live without others to stay safe and that has become the new normal. I strongly want everyone to take measures to keep safe in the pandemic, but please remember the pandemic must be seen as temporary (yes, it could last many more months) and as abnormal (not the usual state of things).
James 5:16 points us to a powerful activity that we can practice while physically apart from each other. It says, “Pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” This almost sounds too simple. Well, I confess to being a simple guy. God gives us the resource of time. What better use of time than to spend it in prayer! You may want to pick out two or three people in the church for whom you will pray each day. Here are a few ways to pray for them:
1) 2 Peter 3:18 to “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2) Ephesians 1:18 “that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you…”
3) Ephesians 3:18-19 “that you may have power to grasp how wise and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love the surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” and
4) Philippians 1:11 “May you be filled with the fruit of the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.”
These prayers may seem radical or out of character with how you usually pray. They come right from Scripture and how Paul prayed for the saints he loved. I encourage you to look through Paul’s writings and use other prayers to inform how you pray. You then might want to let those for whom you are praying know that you are praying for them and what words from the Bible you are using. This will be a blessing for you and for them! Though separated by the pandemic, you will be connected to your fellow Christians and not be a thumb severed from the hand.
Living by grace to His glory,
Pastor Gillikin