As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
1 Samuel 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
The passage that ends with this statement provides us with explicit revelation about “an evil spirit from God” in connection with the playing of music. What does this passage teach about music?
“Prayerfully extend grace to your brothers and sisters who may see things differently than you do. Go the extra mile to make your church family comfortable by abiding by the collective wisdom of your leaders. If you feel uncomfortable with the decisions your leaders make, stay home a little longer. If you are at risk due to health issues, please be safe and wait.
“…my fear is a member [or] a visitor being someone connected to the contact tracing, and the blame falling to the church”….“I am concerned that when the second wave comes and the authorities need us to close church back down, the conflict and strife will be worse than it is now in the arguments over reopening” …. “My concern as we move to indoor services is for our older, at-risk members. They are among our most faithfully engaged members and will be there when the doors are open.
There are legitimate questions for Christians to ask as they study their Bibles and become active in a church. Some questions are worth pursuing endlessly (questions about the character of Christ, for instance). Others have their limits, particularly when little or nothing is directly said in the Bible about them. As the discussion becomes long and drawn out, it also becomes, well, odd. We become either speculative or dogmatic without substance, since there is little in Scripture that substantiates our arguments.
“The reasons someone might not want to attend church gatherings vary greatly and our pastoral response will be directed to such reasons.
“He preached in more than 70 countries and authored more than 30 books in his 48-year career, teaching Christians to engage with skeptics and arguing that the Christian worldview has robust answers to humanity’s existential questions.” - CToday
Related
“A Georgia church that reopened after shutting down due to the coronavirus has axed in-person services again in what they describe as ‘an effort of extreme caution’ as several of their families have become infected by the deadly disease.” - CPost
“Many U.S. United Methodist leaders see the delay as a blessing, allowing more time and cooler heads to consider a split. But some have also expressed concern over continuing harm to many in the denomination eager to move on after decades of debate over the role of LGBTQ Christians in the church.” - RNS
“I think there will be people who are there week one a church is back open, but also people will stay home and continue to watch online. Not only because of ease but also because of fear. And while some will say there shouldn’t be fear, there is. The job of the leader is not to wish a new reality, but to face reality and lead through it.” - CL
“…even if it turns out you’re right, can you not sacrifice your ideal for a season, out of love for others who believe the precautions are necessary?
Discussion