Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Essential

by David Long

There's a lot of talk right now amid this covid-19 pandemic about what's essential and what's not. Most businesses have been deemed as non-essential and have been forced to close. Churches have been deemed as non-essential and are being forced to not meet. Church looked upon as non-essential is nothing new the denominational world has been teaching that for years. Ask the average person if church is necessary and they will tell you no. But the truth is, the church that Jesus built is essential (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; Eph. 5:23, 27). No accountable person will go to heaven unless they are a faithful member of the church that Jesus built. Are you?

Monday, April 13, 2020

The rat race

by David Long

Society has been referred to as a "rat race." Why? Because people just go, go, go. They run to this activity and that activity. They are on the move all the time but not now. Covid-19 has slowed the rat race down to a snail's pace. Rush hour traffic is not rushed. The highways and streets are just about empty. People have more time at home now. Homeschooling is not a bad thing right now. Maybe people will use this time to focus on what's really important. You think?

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Afraid

by David Long

This covid-19 pandemic has taught me something. People are afraid. People are afraid they will run out of toilet paper, bread, bananas, hand sanitizer, wet wipes and a host of other things. People are afraid they will get sick and die from the virus so they wear protective gear when they go out in public. I know we need to be cautious but come on. physically speaking people are really afraid. I wonder if people are afraid on a spiritual level? What do I mean? Are they afraid of hell? They need to be (Matt. 10:28). 

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Scammers

by David Long

A scammer is someone who deceives or defrauds. There's a lot of scammers in our society. This virus pandemic as brought out the scammers. There are people selling false drugs, saying they can cure covid-19. There are people scamming people concerning the stimulus money.  What gets me is how easily we fall for such scams. But let's think for a minute about religious scammers. Jesus warned about them (Matt. 7:15). The Bible warns, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you..." (2 Pet. 2:1-3). What gets me is how easily people fall for religious scammers (false teachers). Like all scams we must put them to the test (1 John 4:1).

Monday, April 6, 2020

A positive from covid-19

by David Long

There is a positive to covid-19. Parents that weren't home for their children before the virus, are now. Children who were home alone before the virus, aren't now. Perhaps now families can sit down at the dinner table together. Perhaps now families can spend more time together. Perhaps the "stay at home" idea will be used by families to reconnect. Maybe now we will see the importance of God's design for the family. You think? 

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Afraid of getting sick

by David Long

The church across the street that believes in miraculous healing isn't healing anyone with covid-19. In fact, they stop meeting a few weeks back because they were afraid of getting sick. Where are all the "faith healers" now? I'm not trying to attack anyone personally but what they teach and believe concerning miraculous healing is false. In Bible times there was miraculous healing but it was to confirm the word preached (Heb. 2:3-4; Mk. 16:20). The age of miracles has ceased (1 Cor. 13:8-13).

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

False sense of security

by David Long

There is now talk of the public wearing face masks to combat covid-19. But some say this would give the public a false sense of security because face mask do not fully protect one from the virus. One may think they are protected when they are not. Well, I don't want a false sense of security, do you? Just like I don't want a false sense of hope. Spiritually speaking most people are living with a false sense of hope. They think they are saved and going to heaven, when they are not. "Not everyone who says to Me,'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matt. 7:21-23).