Coronavirus2: The Lamb’s Lessons for his Church
Introduction
Whatever the polarisations caused by my previous article; I am certain about two things. First, the Father and Son shared with me in their intimate tender communication concerning their release of COVID19. Second, the Father’s strange (Isa 28:21) gift of a global pandemic carries a deep message to the worldwide Church. The Spirit is speaking on the scale of a revival of creation. Since the depth of divine revelation is in proportion to the depth of God’s shaking his world (Heb 12:26), to receive a greater revelation of Jesus (Rev 1:1) through the current catastrophe requires a deeper abiding in the wisdom of the cross (1 Cor 1:24 cf. Dan 12:10). In seeing that the Lamb of God bore away the wrath of the whole Trinity on the cross, and by his blood purchased every part of creation, including viruses, we will see that things are being put in place for a great harvest. A planetary ripening of souls is taking place for salvation and for destruction (Matt 13:30; Rev 14:19). This writing is a prayer-birthed attempt to speak prophetically concerning God’s purposes today beyond peace and security.
Gentleness Makes Great
Most of contemporary Western Christianity cannot stomach God’s wrath because it does not discern his heart. When the warrior king, David, marvellously said of the Lord, “your gentleness has made me great” (Ps 18:35), he prophesied about the coming great King, Jesus, whose essential nature is “meekness and gentleness” (2 Cor 10:1 cf. Matt 11:29; Zech 9:9). The (pierced) hand of the Lamb is uniquely equipped (vs James 1:20) to release bowls filled with plagues of wrath (Rev 6:8, 16). In the Spirit we can discern God’s judging hand is moved (Prov 4:23) by a heart of unlimited gentleness. Those without the Spirit however need to witness the operation of the hands of God through a merciful Church.
Shepherd the World
In the context of hearing those with a shepherd’s heart desiring to provide face to face care for the sick, whatever the risk, I believe there can be a revival of the laying on of hands in our time (cf. Heb 6:2). This lovely picture in Jeremiah has an end-times fulfilment, “flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the Lord.” (33:13). To me this speaks of distressed men and women coming under the loving touch of the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. If the Word and Spirit are the “two hands” of God (Irenaeus), we can see the Father laying his hands on the world through the Church. Under the Great Shepherd (Heb 13:20), real pastors know that it is only through immersion in a cruel world of genocides, holocausts and plague, and by suffering with it (2 Cor 1:8; Col 1:24), that the glory of God’s suffering substitutionary nature in Christ can be revealed. A Spirit-filled Church is wracked by painful identification with a terrorised suffering world imparts with great authority eternal hope. Those who “visit the sick”, at great risk, bring a powerful presence of Jesus (Matt 25:36).
Converting the World into the Church
In eternity we will understand that the world was always destined in Christ to become the Bride and city of God (Rev 21:9-10) through our redemptive suffering. To take darkness, trauma and chaos into ourselves, in the way of the Lamb of God (John 1:29; Mark 15:34), is the means for the glorious “restoration/regeneration of all things” (Matt 19:28; Acts 3:21). Through the lens of the cross Isaiah’s insight applies to the saving of the whole world, “In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them.” Contrary to pessimistic religions and philosophies, the resurrection of Jesus is evidence that the cosmos is not mortally wounded but has a certain hope of eternal life in Christ (Tit 1:2-3). When believers through intercessory prayer and pastoral service sacrificially take into themselves the suffering of others there is no limit to what the Lord will do. Such willing sacrifice follows wisdom.
Putting to Death
Capitalism is one of humanity’s greatest success stories and sources of pride. The world worships “the market”. This enslaves billions of souls to money/mammon as a loveless master (Matt 6:24). To have one’s hopes enmeshed in global trade is to be tyrannised by a seemingly omnipotent monster, whose ultimate destiny is destruction (Rev 18).We should not be surprised that through COVID19 the Lord is throwing sand into the cogs of the machine of global capitalism, starting with perhaps the cruellest capital worshippers of all, China (https://theowp.org/chinese-uighurs-forced-into-labour-camps/). Surely God is hearing the prayers of the Chinese Church and through plague accelerating the conversion of the emerging superpower. For the sake of Christ, Western Christians must lay down her idols of comfort and willingly embrace a global economic meltdown, if this be the pleasing will of God.
Conclusion
“If we have been through so much, God must have something special for Rwanda.” The words of this genocide survivor, spoken in my presence, have proven true with both economic and spiritual revival in his nation. The power of the gospel is revealed wherever resurrection hope refuses to bow to pandemic fear.
Coronavirus represents a challenging opportunity for the Church to recognise her role in the all-embracing plan of God. The self-indulgent, self-conscious, affluent Church to which we belong vastly underestimates her glorious role in converting the world into the end-time all beautiful Bride of Christ. Through the Church “now” the manifold wisdom of God in his saving goal for all things can be set forth so the world may believe and be saved (Eph 3:10). The coronavirus is a heaven-sent opportunity (kairos) for a global revival. The Lord will do great things through us as long as we are willing to risk everything for him. Christians must live in the knowledge that secure finances, good health, family wellness and assured toilet paper supplies (https://www.france24.com/en/20200306-rush-on-toilet-paper-coronavirus-sparks-panic-buying-in-australia) etc. have no relation to the death of God’s Son. If we would see the endless measure of Christ’s glory we must be willing to follow the Lord through the cloud of fear to unsafe places. “Rescue the perishing, Care for the dying; Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.”