There’s so much out of our control in this world. There are so many things that we don’t understand. The only thing we can control is how we respond to what’s going on around us. We can control our attitudes and responses.
So our minds need to be right, and a lot of that comes from being saturated with the Word of God, and the need for prayer has never been more apparent.
Here are two responses that we as leaders need to have.
1. Shepherd our flock well
As pastors, we need to respond to this crisis not just to survive but to thrive. We need to fight off that feeling of self-preservation and instead ask, “Am I willing to really die for the people of my church?” We need to go “all in, all out.”
This is where the rubber meets the road. Are we really going to shepherd our flock well, and point them to the Gospel and to Christ?
I think about all the healthcare workers out there and my wife is one of them. She is willing to put her life at risk to serve people who are dying. That inspires me and makes me ask myself, “Am I willing to fight off this impulse for self-preservation and to just think about myself?”
Pastors, are we going to shepherd and point our people to Christ and be willing to go all out for Christ?
2. Evangelize
Fear of death from COVID-19 is very real, especially to people who don’t know Christ. This is a monumental and profound opportunity to reach out to them. We didn’t ask for this, but God is not surprised by this moment.
The opportunity is there for us to evangelize and to shine the light for Christ in our neighborhood and to the world around us and promote a biblical worldview. There’s an opportunity for us to lead our congregation to be more intentional about living an evangelistic lifestyle through word and deed, always looking for opportunities to love our neighbor as ourselves.