"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” (Isaiah 44:6-8)
During times such as these when the world is in chaos and leaders lead others to panic, we must use Biblical wisdom and refuse to bicker among ourselves or react from a place of fear and panic. We must refrain from accusing churches who decide to cancel public gathering as being without faith and we must resist calling those who insist on gathering as being unwise. Each congregation is independent and accountable under the Lordship of Jesus Christ alone in how they pursue holy obedience. The Body of Christ does not belong to Caesar, but to God. We are His people. Our primary allegiance is to Him. Our primary purpose in times such as these is to bring Him glory. Our primary love is His great name. Our primary message is His gospel of grace, mercy, and, yes, judgment. No amount of posturing or virtue signaling between politicians, congregations or Christians is going to change that. We must and will be a people of prayer and discernment. We sometimes can and must do more than pray, but we must never be less than prayerful and wise in discerning the church's best course of action under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Let's wisely remember that regardless of what's going on in the world nothing catches our God by surprise. He is sovereign and has decreed it all from of old. There is no other power greater than Him. He is the only Rock upon which we may be secure.