This rarefied time of social distancing as the world shelters at home sifting through conflicting reports about the nature and progress of the coronavirus has given me opportunity to think. On the one hand, working at home is not new to me; I left teaching in 2004 to edit Proclamation! magazine, and Richard contracted with Life Assurance Ministries in 2006 after being fired from Loma Linda School of Dentistry for his involvement in this ministry. Together we have made a routine for ourselves as we have navigated our work for Life Assurance as well as our involvement with Redeemer Fellowship.
With the arrival of Covid-19, though, our contact with other people suddenly ceased. Church became a livestream production, and then our weekly Bible studies moved to the online meeting format using Zoom. A really big loss has been the sudden cessation of our weekly Sunday lunches.
This new reality, though, has brought some surprises. I did not expect to find so much encouragement and “grounding” from our online Bible studies. At first it seemed impossible to accomplish real fellowship without being present with each other—and without sharing food! Yet when we held our first Friday night FAF Bible study, I was startled to realize that meeting virtually with our local group and seeing their faces was reassuring and nurturing. We talked with each other, we studied the Bible together just as we do in person, and we shared prayer requests and prayed for each other.
I had not realized how much I needed the contact with “my people” until we finally met on Zoom. I felt almost as if I had been awakened by being able to see and talk with these people who are such a significant part of my life. As one of the group said, that meeting was an important “reset”—one that we hadn’t been aware we needed.
Since that first meeting, we have met via Zoom for our adult Sunday School class and for our afternoon Bible study through the book of John—a study that grew out of our Sunday afternoons as we would visit together with other church members after lunch.
This last weekend we even had new members join our studies. A former Adventist from Toronto, Ontario, joined us on Friday night along with another person who had never been Adventist but who knew of us through a mutual friend. We realize now that even when we are finally able to meet in person again, we may incorporate an online medium in order to accommodate some other former Adventists who want a deep Bible study as they unpack their Adventist worldviews.
A passage from Hebrews has taken on new depth for me during this time of isolation. Hebrews 3:13 says,
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today”, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
As I look at this passage I see that the author of this epistle is saying that when believers encourage (some versions say “exhort”) one another, that encouragement is a protection against our being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Significantly, the text does not say that we are hardened by “sin”; rather, we are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Sin does not overtly derail us as believers; rather, it deceives us. Our temptation to lose our focus on pleasing the Lord Jesus is subtle. For example, in my state of “isolation”, I realize that I had been suppressing my sense of loss. Instead of facing what I was missing, I was tempted to cocoon into my house and distract myself. In fact, I had to bolster myself to actually face everyone in that first Zoom meeting. If Richard hadn’t been convinced we needed to meet, I might have just let the opportunity slip away from a sense of inertia.
When I saw my friends, however, and we delved into the book of Ephesians together, sharing thoughts and questions, it awakened my feelings and fed my heart. I realized that I was being “hardened” from the deceptive thought that trying to make a visual meeting “work” was probably not possible. It was, in fact, very possible—and it was a huge blessing to me. We all needed each other!
This strange state of isolation has shown me in a new way how important it is that we remain in touch with each other. We need each other’s encouragement and exhortation. When we are alive in Jesus, His Spirit in us ministers to the others around us, and His Spirit ministers to us through them. God made us to function this way; we are a body with Jesus as our Head, and we need the contact and encouragement of others who know Jesus.
Even if we can’t meet each other personally, we can reach out in other ways. During this time of no contact, we can send emails, texts, or call one another. We can face-time, meet using Zoom, or even send snail-mail. If we are feeling shut down, isolated, discouraged, or even a bit depressed or anxious, we can be sure that others are as well. The Lord has given us the reminder that our encouragement to one another is something He uses to help us resist becoming hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Our concern and contact helps our brothers and sisters keep hearts soft toward the Lord and receptive to truth.
The Lord has determined the times and places where each person and nation would live (Acts 17:26–28). He placed us together for His glory and for our good, and He has made us to need each other. We can trust our Head, our Lord Jesus, and lean on Him as we stay in touch and encourage each other. He will use our concern and encouragement to keep each others’ hearts soft and to keep us strong, knit together by Jesus’ love and faithfulness. †
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- April 27–May 3, 2024 - April 25, 2024
Is there anyway to open up your zoom bible studies to internationals? I’ve been blessed by your ministry for the past to years since leaving adventism and would love to join from Australia!