I’m going to level with you; social isolation due to COVID-19 has been hard for me. Initially, I thought that this will be a piece of cake. I’ll breeze through this. It won’t affect me. But I was wrong. I did well for a while, but then I started to struggle. I found myself depressed, withdrawn, and sullen.

Social isolation made me selfish

I think the biggest problem was that it seemed that all I could do was focus on me. Social isolation made me pretty selfish. How does my understanding of the Bible help “me”? How can God’s Word take “me” through this?

I could use the technology that is available today to talk with family, friends, and fellow believers, but I felt cut off from those who needed to find a relationship with Christ. I thought, “How can I be missional when there is no one to ‘mish’ with?” “Where is my purpose?” “How can I encourage people to be missional right now when I didn’t even know who to do so myself?”

Finally, some of the clouds began to lift. I started to hear the Lord’s voice again. I woke up in the middle of the night with a question on my mind, “Is this our Acts 8:1 moment?”

Is this our Acts 8:1 moment?

The bible tells us that,

And Saul approved of their killing [Stephen]. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

The book of Acts begins with Jesus telling His followers that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth. It appears that the church was not in a rush to fulfill this command as they stayed in Jerusalem. 

But then things got uncomfortable. A great persecution broke out, and they couldn’t stay in Jerusalem and continue doing business as usual. The believers had to scatter into Judea, Samaria, and eventually into the Gentile world. And I imagine that they didn’t know what it would look like when they left or how they were going to serve Christ. They probably struggled with the possibility of never being able to go back to the way things were.

Social isolation due to a pandemic is certainly not persecution, but it can produce the same results. At various times in history, God has used negative social situations like persecution, disasters, wars, and disease to scatter His people and advance His message of Good News.

Covid-19 has definitely scattered the followers of Christ. It has moved us away from our buildings, programs, and leaders.

Some Acts 8:1 questions

Prayerfully ask yourself:

Could God be using Covid-19 to put His church back into the hands of everyday Christ-followers?

Are we willing to accept our scattering as an opportunity to take the message of Jesus to a hurting world?

How will we best use this opportunity to take the Good News of Christ to the ends of the earth?

Stress-related issues

Social isolation due to COVID-19 is stressful and triggers reactions like: 

• Fear of dying
• Fear of a relative or close friend dying
• Fear of being hospitalized
• Fear of losing a job, a business, or income 
• Worry 
• Anxiety 
• Uncertainty 
• Loneliness 
• Anger 
• Panic 
• Depression 
• Impatience 
• Confusion – each day is just like every other day 
• Sadness 
• Frustration 
• Sorrow 
• Feeling overwhelmed 
• Desire for hope

Even though we follow Christ, we are susceptible to these strong emotions and must find ways to cope. We believe that our hope is in Christ. We look for answers and comfort in the personal quietness of our isolation through prayer and God’s Word. We seek ways to gather and find encouragement with like-minded fellow travelers. Many are willing to risk contacting COVID-19 and attend worship services to hear the Word of God. Others participate in digital Discovery Community and Bible study. You read your Bible and pray. You listen to online sermons.

Those who do not have a relationship with Christ have the same list as Christ-followers, but they seek hope and answers in other places and listen to different voices. Most do not know that Jesus offers hope for their hurting lives. And if they do reach out to God, they do not know how to read the Bible or pray.

Missional Challenge

What if you could offer your friends who do not have a life-changing relationship with Jesus an opportunity to read the Bible with you and discover how God can help them in their struggles? 

What if we could start dozens of new Discovery Communities for those who need the hope of Christ? 

I am offering a You Plus Two Zoom workshops that will help you: 

• Learn a simple method of connecting with two or more friends and help them discover the hope found in the all-sufficient Christ? 
• Explore how to establish simple discovery communities to help your friends and family who are searching for ways to cope with the stress of social isolation.You Plus Two Workshop Sunday, August 2, 2020 6:00 p.m. 
• Receive a free resource based on stories of hope from the gospels entitled Discovering Hope and ideas for using it. 

The workshop will be Sunday, August 2, at 6:00 p.m.

Deadline for registration – 3:00 PM Sunday August 2.

Register for the You Plus Two Workshop

Add Me to the Audience

You Plus Two Zoom Workshop
Sunday, August 2, 2020
6:00 PM