I wonder if you would take a moment to tell me something, it really isn’t all that necessary for me to know, but I have found over the years that the best way to understand how people think is to ask specific questions of them in the hope of a specific answer.
We all like to believe that we experience individualized emotional states, and, after all, we are created with emotions, but sadly far too many base their lives and their reactions to certain situations on those emotions, yet we are not nearly as individualized as we would like to think. All were made in the image of God.
What I would like to ask you is this, do you feel shame?
“Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Romans 1:32)
What follows is not in complete reference to this verse but can find its applications in it to some degree.
When your pastor decided to lock the doors of the church three years ago, were you ashamed of him for doing so, or did you think, “Better safe than sorry?” When you met him and others from your church on the street and they were wearing a mask, did you ask them why they were living in fear, did you speak to them of the truth of Psalm 91:10, “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”
Did you ask them why they were afraid, and why they were falling headlong into the newest trap of Satan? Did you take a step closer to them when they were adhering to the six-foot rule, just to see their fear realized as they took a step backwards from you?
Would you count those who placed that mask over their nose and mouth as weaker brothers, as ones overly cautious because of a lack of complete knowledge of the situation, or ones living in fear of their lives?
I ask you, how many of those who say they serve Christ as leaders of the congregation have apologized in front of the entire assembly for being so easily deceived? They locked their doors, they did what those in the highest positions of Spiritual darkness told them to do, and they offered no apology whatsoever for not only being deceived, but leading others into that deception.
I ask you this also, and I believe it holds great merit not only to those who still stand behind the pulpit today, not only to those elders and deacons of the church, but to all who put that mask on, and it is this, do you feel shame now when you hear them repeat Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Excuses will abound, “Better safe than sorry,” “We just thought it to be the best thing to do,” “We were only following the advice of the leaders of society.” And every excuse can be countered with the truth, “You did not trust the Lord God.”
Perhaps asking yourself if you were one who put the mask on, or asking any others who did if they feel shame is not the proper question, perhaps the correct question is this, why did you fear?
Some saw through the deception immediately, that this was nothing less than preparing the world to be obedient for that day when the mark will be required to buy or sell, and we watched those who claimed Christ as Lord living in fear, the fear of dying while saying they desire to be with the Lord.
I believe it should be required for every pastor to be held accountable as to why they locked their doors, for every one of them to give an account of why they put that mask on, why they stayed away when they should have stood.
And this is only my personal thoughts on the matter, but I do not believe that one of them should ever be allowed to preach a sermon on Philippians 1:21 again until they do.
