It’s hard to avoid spending a few hours online each day trawling through the news about COVID-19, bingeing on commentary, and discussing with other possible outcomes. This information overload is part of dealing with the anxiety of our times. COVID-19 is arguably the biggest global crisis of the past 70 years, but the gospel of Jesus deals with our most pressing need. In these times of uncertainty, we can take the initiative to tell this better news.
Social distancing doesn’t mean social disconnection. We have the means and the opportunities to reach out to one another with the news of Jesus. This connection can begin easily enough with simple questions. When you discuss the news with others, you can ask something like, ‘How do you find peace in these difficult times? Where do you think God fits into all this?’ As you ask these questions, you’ll find that people are more eager to spiritually engage than you expected.
We have the means and the opportunities to reach out to one another with the news of Jesus.
As you engage people with these questions, here are some useful resources.
Firstly, use short online gospel presentations. Let me recommend two sources in particular. Christianity Explored Ministries has posted their films for free use until 30 April. Go to the Christianity Explored and Life Explored pages on YouTube and share those talks with others to get a conversation started. Also, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries provides talks on YouTube by outstanding speakers on all sorts of difficult questions on faith, including responses to COVID-19.
Secondly, renowned Oxford academic and speaker, John Lennox, has produced a small book called, ‘Where is God in a coronavirus world?’. You can easily get the digital version at The Good Book Company, along with other great resources.
Thirdly, after Easter, our sermon series will be called ‘Tough Questions’. We’ll be exploring what the Bible has to say about the difficult questions of life and faith like, ‘What am I missing in life?’, ‘Where is God when it hurts?’, and ‘How can I find a hope to face anything?’. This series has two aims: to equip Christians in sharing their faith, and to engage non-Christians with the gospel. I warmly encourage you to share these talks with your friends and family, and invite them to church when our normal services resume.
Let’s prayerfully use these challenging times to share the life-changing news of Jesus.
