What a weird time we’re living in right now! Most of our favorite spots have been closed for what seems like forever and even our churches have been closed. We’re all obeying the authorities and staying home to keep everyone safe, but it’s been hard. A few churches have continued to meet—despite the new rules—and one pastor was even arrested for it. Deciding what God wants us to do in these times is very important. Knowing His voice and obeying it, is key.
- Have you ever been confronted with a situation which forced you to decide if you should obey God or someone else? (Answers will vary; students may share something like: My friends were making some bad choices at school, and I knew God wouldn’t want me to go along with them, so I chose to obey Him, etc.)
The question for many Christians has been how do we still obey God in meeting together, but obey the authorities who are trying to keep us safe, too? Many around the world are figuring that out these days. Here’s how one church is making it work.
Play the following clip [1:02]:
Harvest Time Church holds parking lot service, people worshipping in cars
- Why do you think meeting in their cars for church was important to this congregation? (Answers might include: They feel encouraged after they’ve spent time with God and their church family, they wanted to obey God, etc.)
- Our rights to worship as Christians have not been stopped completely; however, if there ever came a time in your life when you were told you were not allowed to be a Christian or worship God without going to jail, what would you do? (Let students discuss their thoughts, fears, and anger about this happening.)
Remind students there are Christians already dealing with this type of persecution throughout the world. In many countries, there are secret churches; those Christians know the risks of meeting are very serious if they’re caught.
As many are rediscovering, the Church is not a building. We are the Church! Just because the authorities have told us we can’t meet together in our buildings, doesn’t mean we can’t obey God and continue to hold our church services. People all over the world are meeting together and proclaiming Jesus’ name even louder from their computers, living rooms, and parking lots. Pastors are seeing their online church service numbers quadruple in size and Bible sales are through the roof. God’s message will always prevail.
In today’s lesson, we’re going to see how Jesus’ disciples were up against a much stronger opposition to their faith. Yet, they chose to share the Gospel message with anyone and everyone they came into contact with, despite the trouble that would come from it. Let’s find out what it looks like to follow God, no matter the cost.
Additional Resources:
Bible publishers reporting jump in sales amid coronavirus fears
Online Church Service Attendance Quadruples in Light of COVID-19
Florida pastor arrested after holding packed church service amid COVD-19 stay-at-home order-abc11.com
