A strange year of struggling with the arrival and continuance of COVID-19 is near its calendar end; and I’m sure few of us will be sorry to see 2020 go. There have been countless experiences this year that none of us will forget—including changes in how we gather as a church.
Church-at-home has become the new normal for countless Christians this year, especially those at high risk of infection. As we get closer to returning to church in increasing number, it’s helpful to reflect on what we’re learning. Here are four insights gained about the body of Christ from doing church-at-home.
1. Community Is a Necessity
The value of Christian community has seldom been more apparent than in 2020. If you’re anything like me, you’ve taken tangible community with other Christians for granted until this year. While I’ve consistently been involved in small groups, prayer groups, study groups, and the like for years, I have never truly felt the importance of such fellowship until this year. The benefit of quality time with brothers and sisters in Christ cannot be overstated. While this greater appreciation for Christian community as a result of the chaos of 2020 is worthwhile, what does it mean for church gatherings going forward? I hope there will be a renewed emphasis on small groups, classes, and prayer meetings in the church. Because, as Solomon famously says, “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17). While FaceTime and Zoom are great temporary solutions, in-person fellowship is one of the great gifts of participating in a local church, and they should not be taken for granted. It’s more challenging to experience the sharpening of my fellow brothers and sisters without being able to meet in person. The importance of community cannot be overstated, and I pray that we do not let opportunities for fellowship slide in the coming months and years.
2. Corporate Worship Mends Souls
One of the things that I missed most when quarantine began was the experience of participating in corporate worship each Sunday morning. While merely being present with a community of believers is precious, something shifts in my soul as we begin to sing out in praise of our God. Hearing a body of voices cry out in praise is a truly unique experience, and it heals and nourishes my soul in ways that few other experiences can. We have all experienced some form of hardship as a result of 2020. Whether it be financial setbacks, physical struggle, or you know someone who has lost their life, one of the church’s best outlets for expressing (and experiencing relief from) such struggle is through corporate worship. I cannot count the number of times I have undergone a profound spiritual experience during times of corporate worship. God’s people have always gathered together to worship him as a body, and in 2020, there has been a renewed appreciation for this timeless ritual. If you’ve not had the privilege of worshipping virtually or in-person with a body of believers in the last several months, I pray that you can find new ways to enjoy the sweetness of God’s presence as he shepherds us through uncertainty.
3. None Are Indispensable
There hasn’t been a time since World War II that death has been so apparent in America. There’s been no point in my life that the mortality of my brothers and sisters in Christ has been so tangible. It has brought to the forefront the awareness that none in the body of Christ are dispensable. This is one of the main points that Paul emphasizes in 1 Corinthians 12. Paul writes: Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell come from.
It’s just telling us that every member and department of the body of Christ is necessary whether we like it or not.
About The Author
Harrison Okafor
editor
Judith is a believer, a lover of Christ and a Gospel freak person. A passionate gospel blogger and press writer. I work with GospelHitsNaija.net Media, no 1 Gospel music platform.
