Growing up in a country like America where we get to vote and influence the government, it’s difficult to imagine what it would feel like to live under an absolute monarchy. Or a tyrannical dictatorship. Or an oppressive, all-controlling regime. Yet the early followers of Jesus not only lived in such environments, but they flourished and grew. What can we learn from these early believers? What would they teach us today?
I have a friend in Virginia—I’ll call him “Kevin”—who is struggling with depression. He lost his job because his company isn’t an “essential” business. A part-time pastor, Kevin had big dreams about growing his young church, but now he’s struggling to connect with his congregation through social media and online broadcasts.
L.C. (Larry) Fowler, a graduate of Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) Class ’89, an invited guest at the White House, has trained along with Christian personnel across the globe, including Pakistan, Indonesia, and China. He argues that to follow Christ today requires Navy SEAL-like toughness. That opinion seems more relevant than ever in facing the coronavirus.
We are living in one of the most uncomfortable times I’ve ever known. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to its knees. Workplaces are closed. Hospitals are overcrowded. The global economy teeters on the edge of collapse while everyone shelters in place. And fear is spreading faster than the virus itself.
The following is a commentary submitted by Tony Richie, D. Min., Ph. D., lecturer in Theology at Pentecostal Theological Seminary.
The Holy Spirit didn’t tell me in advance about the coronavirus pandemic. I was just as shocked as everyone else when I realized that a deadly virus outbreak in China would shut down the world.
