Posted on 09/27/2021 3:39:32 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
We get many requests from church leaders around the world asking for advice as they deal with COVID-19 lockdown orders and other government-mandated restrictions on worship. This is a short record of how our church responded to the government’s efforts to keep our congregation from gathering, an index of some things we have learned, and a few important biblical principles to bear in mind as you consider how you and your church must respond biblically.
We are convinced that governmental encroachment on basic human freedoms constitutes a more intimidating threat to individuals, a greater impediment to the work of the church, and a larger calamity for all of society than any pestilence or other natural disaster. These are difficult times, calling for a thoughtful, biblical, and wise response from church leaders and their congregations.
(Excerpt) Read more at gty.org ...
Thank you. Will read later.
Our pastor said “The state has told us that we must wear masks beginning next Sunday. In the Bible we are told to submit to the government as long as it does not go against our basic beliefs.
So we will require everyone to wear masks. However, we also believe that our community relationship as a group is required by God. And we urge you all to come to worship unless you are in a high risk group.”
An excellent piece effectively covering everything from start to where we are now. It is like a summary of everything we have researched and uncovered right here but all out in one place. From facts to faith.
Would masks have helped? Who can really say? There were perhaps hundreds of opportunities to pick up a virus with or without a mask in large groups.
This was a good read and I have passed it on.
Thank you.
We believe we caught our at church on Sept. 12.
good post. great Biblical guidance for the Church on how to respond the the gov’t’s illegal and immoral mandates.
as in this case, Grace Church, representing the Body of Christ, consents for a time to the advice being given by the health authorities, but as the propaganda given by the evil (or the blind) proves false (the process of revelation becomes complete), the Body rightly withdraws it’s initial consent and acts according to the evidence revealed by God and God’s true servants.
in short, the Body ultimately rejects the false, the fearful, and the evil authorities, and chooses to act prudently—with informed consent—on the Truth it gathers for itself as revealed by God.
It's telling that all the leaders who are promoting the fear of Covid clearly do not fear Covid.
Covid is going to run its course. Take any precautions you believe necessary and get on with your normal life.
Excellent article.
Long but well worth reading and well documented.
Thanks for posting it, boss.
I was nodding my head right along, right to assemble, check, masks optional, check. no mandates, check. All good. I disagree with him on death rate. It’s 1 in 500. And then he got to ‘noted virologist’ And a paper written by someone who used 6 of his own prior papers to boister the claims of a 7th paper. Which is pretty weird even for scientists.
So I looked him up. Friend of nonprofiteer RFK,jr. Seems to be against all vaccinations. For anything. And rather fatalistic. To quote a statement from the top of the second page of his paper, “ No pivotal clinical trial for a vaccine preventing an infectious disease has ever demonstrated an improvement in health.” Which was a letdown because not dying from measles or pertussis or even covid is a lot healthier than dying from it. I think maybe the pastor should have looked futher than the book cover for a source to prop his argument.
Had he addressed the vaccine issue the same way he addressed gatherings or masks, based on one’s own risk assessment, it might have come across better. Such as should one parent get vaccinated so the kids have one parent left just in case, do we have our finances in order, what medical services can we access, what if we have to make a career change, how do we deal with mandates that aren’t going to go away soon, all of the elements that go into decision making, it would have been a stellar article. Especially with such a strong start. But it sort of fizzled at the end with the scary story stuff injected in that didn’t match the title.
https://www.reuters.com/article/fact-check-no-evidence-that-pfizers-covi-idUSL1N2MZ382
Thanks for posting. Excellent article.
Oh this is brilliant. John MacArthur was the man for the hour.
Which, together with almost all infections being traced to household-type settings (and about a third being in long-term care facilities), and almost all deaths being among those who had a number of comorbidities - mainly obesity and conditions usually related to it - and hardly any youth dying with Covid, testifies against the all-ages long term broad scope of restrictions, esp. with its "stay-sheltered" mantra, rather than a national fitness program of like weight (no pun intended) for those who are able.
Just over 400 young people (0–17 years old) out of 643+ thousand.
Thank you for the ping! I had not seen this.
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.
I am as well...
Hebrews 9:27
And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, judgment:
The requested URL was not found on this server.
Amen!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.