A brief overview and introduction to the book of Philippians

A friend recently asked me if I thought that the coronavirus would cause division within the church. I’ve thought quite a bit about her question since then. The short answer, is yes, I think the coronavirus has the potential to cause division within the church for many obvious reasons. I mean, we’re people. So if you ask ten people what their opinion is about the coronavirus and all that goes with it (social distancing, conspiracy theory, wearing masks, the like) then you will get ten different answers. Multiply that by a congregation of 200+ people and the opinions multiple like rabbits. And in all seriousness, God bless the pastors that are trying to shepherd us stinky sheep through all this.

What is this “certain way” that we are called to suffer? Above all it is, as we mentioned earlier, suffering in Christ. It does no good to try and bear our suffering ourselves; we must cling to Christ. That sounds easy enough when you are not suffering. But it is not so easy when you are actually suffering. How can I respond to God when he appears to be abusing me?

One person washes their hands compulsively to feel some sense of cleanness. One person sits in the shower for 45 minutes after being defiled by another person trying to feel clean. One person drinks to forget their guilt. One person erases any standard in their life so they won’t feel guilt. One person cuts themself to experience relief from their anger and shame. One person tries to re-invent themselves to get away from their shame.

Different actions but what they all are doing is dealing with sin. We all create rituals or processes to address the guilt, defilement, and shame, from our sin and others’ sin against us. You may not think sin is a real thing. But your actions show you functionally think it is real because you try to address it—even if that means ignoring it.

We can open our Bibles and pray for all sorts of odd reasons—as a religious duty, an attempt to earn God’s favor, or thinking that it serves as a moral self-help guide, a manual of handy tips for effective spirituality. That idea is one main reason so many of you feel discouraged in your spiritual disciplines. Hoping to find quick lessons in the bible for how you should spend the day, you find instead a genealogy or a list of various sacrifices. And how could page after page of histories, descriptions of the temple, instructions to priests, affect how we rest, work and pray today?

The coronavirus is now affecting everyday life for almost all of us. You may be wondering what you can do to help on a practical level, when physical connection is becoming increasingly prohibited. As Christians, we know that we can pray. Here's an adapted extract from 5 Things to Pray For Your World by Rachel Jones to help guide you in praying for those working on the front line response, based on 2 Corinthians 1 V 3-11.

Fragility. Death. Lack of control. In moments like this—the global pandemic of coronavirus—these rise to the surface.

Parents we want you to be equipped through teaching, modeling, and resourcing to shepherd your children’s hearts in everyday life—time, moments, and milestones. We're starting a monthly series to highlight a children's book we recommend. This month a member, Laurel West, is highlighting The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden by Kevin DeYoung.