What is Our Response to Coronavirus?- PART THREE

What is Our Response to Coronavirus?

Part Three

by Rocky Fleming

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:” (Proverbs 1:20-21 ESV)

There is a dynamic response by governing authorities to the pandemic threat that we face as the people of this nation.  Many aspects of our life have been affected by mandates, regulations and suggestions for our protection and the protection of others.  No one likes this.  But it is “wisdom crying in the streets” and we must heed it even as a ministry.  Recently our Global Board has asked our Regional Offices to reduce group meetings to smaller levels and utilize our Zoom technology to fill the void left by postponing our group gatherings.  The larger gatherings have already been postponed.  Please note that I used the word “postponed.”  We have not cancelled or ended these gatherings of the Journey Groups or the larger gatherings.  We have only postponed our physical gatherings together until a later date when exposure is reduced.  In the mean time we will continue meeting, continue encouraging, continuing praying together, and continue pursuing helping participants to enter even more deeply an intimate relationship with Christ through technology and virtual meetings.

I have found that at times like we are in now that people are more interested in their relationship with Christ than their normal pursuit.  We feel that this becomes a favorable climate for discipleship.  Sure, there will be a period of awkward application with using the technology for some people.  But with a little working through setting it up and the motivation to do so they will be rewarded.  It makes it harder for me to make this transition, not only because I am a 75-year-old man, but as well trying to train others in my groups to use it.  The good news it gets easier with practice for them and me.  Now let’s jump down the road into the near future and beyond the current challenges.

The future has been forced on some of us, and we must adventure into new ways to make disciples.  However, we must not lose the core values that we hold dear.  We must not dilute these core values in discipleship to make our creative new efforts more user-friendly, or more socially or politically acceptable.  If we do this, we sink the ship that’s trying to save a lost and dying world.  Those things have to be protected, and we can do so if we seek the wisdom that God will give us.  Seek His wisdom with “How?” to stay connected with your people.  Stay with the Journey Process as it has been inspired.  That is “What?” we do.  Everyday go back to answering the question of “Why?” you continue to reach out, serve, and persevere.  If the reason is because Jesus loves you and you are loving Him back with serving others, you are in a good place.  You have not forgotten your First Love and He will bless your efforts.

We are now aggressively moving forward with our virtual Journey Groups.  We are providing more licenses to be used for this.  We will be having more virtual training classes to help our Guides use it.  Please contact Bryan Craig at our Global Office via our website if you need help with this.  We are opening up more Virtual Prayer gatherings.  We had an impromptu invitation go out this past Saturday for a prayer gathering last Sunday and 78 people joined us.  We will do this again this coming Sunday at 3:00 PM Central Time.  An invitation and instructions for joining us through Zoom will be going out.  Please join us for prayer is where the real battle begins and succeeds.

Our attitude with the leaders of Influencers is that we see a great opportunity unfolding before us.  We are excited!  We will embrace this current challenge as a way to make even more disciples and show many more disciples how to be disciple-makers.  All of this points to expanding the Kingdom of God, and we know that our King is delighted.  Will you join us?  Talk to you tomorrow in my next blog entry.