QUESTIONS OF A GENERATION (4): IS ONLINE CHURCH NOT CHURCH ENOUGH?
I had a brief stint of about eight months at a State University somewhere in the southwest of Nigeria. It was my first time away from home. I was sixteen years old.
In those eight months, I went to church roughly between eight to twelve times. First, I visited home or my Grandparents once a month so I had to be in church that weekend. Second, the other four times were in school. I have the memory of just one Sunday out of the four. This is to show you how nonchalant I was.
As a pastor’s child, it was my first taste of freedom, and I probably felt I could still touch God on my own as long as I was not sinning or keeping my values.
In my days, there were no online church services, but I have an idea of what your life looks like when you are not in a community of believers. Also, church was the first thing we struck off our list during tests and exams. Amazing!
Dear one, as much as it lies in your power, if you are not bedridden, please be in church. Even when you relocate, find a church first! Find the believer’s company first. Daniel found his company in Babylon, find yours too!
Hebrews 10:25 ICB
You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing. But you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the Day coming.
Deception is a tool in the trade of the devil. Honestly appraise it: The meetings you were physically present at and the ones you attended online, was there a difference? Be sincere. Listen, it is deception to be typing fire in the chat room while you have beans on fire or watching a movie by the side. Distraction travels with deception.
Decline is gradual. You stop attending Sunday School (Some of us do not even have that again). Then, you also do not make it to Bible Study during the week. Work has taken that away. Now, Sundays are for laundry and carry-over work. You connect online so you can still do laundry as you watch a service. Decline is gradual. Because your attention span is really short now, the teaching is also twenty-five minutes. Are you still serving God or worshipping your work? Work is the new idol for some.
Wait! Did you become a Certified Financial Analyst by twenty minutes of online classes per week? How then did you think that is how you would become a Disciple of Christ?
When deception has done its work, and decline sets in, because there is no vacuum anywhere, the devil places around you “voices” that preserve you as his potential harvest. When I was at that State University, the voices around me were lustful. I share some of my experiences with Irewamiri- drinks, sex, and porn!
From gradual decline, you move into isolation before you finally go astray. The plot is to make you lose your sense of identity and direction.
1 Peter 2:25 MSG
You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going…
When you make certain choices, you are still a sheep, but the challenge is that you are lost. You have no idea again of who you are and where you are going.
Catch the drift before it is too late.
© temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa.
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